life changes
by stuart1993
Summary: Sam went undercover, but when he comes back, will Andy be there for him?
1. i'm going

And there he was, living on a hell hole for 7 months now. This undercover operation was tearing him apart, mentally and physically. He had already lost 18 pounds, his once strong and fit body long gone -7 months of crappy food and lack of sleep does that to a person- he had lost the count of how many times he had been beaten just because his boss was in a bad mood or because he hadn't sold all the cocaine, but that wasn't the worst, he knew that this physical pain would go away someday, the worst was to know that those bastards were selling kids like they were commodities and not be able to prove it nor help those poor and helpless lives.

He couldn't stand look at the mirror because that wasn't Sam, that was A.M, Anthony Muse, a drug dealer from Montreal who came to Toronto to run away from the police. He knew that Gene Emerson and his crew weren't working only with drug traffic, they were selling big guns and what's worse, they were selling kids too and that was why he accepted the job, he wanted to bust Gene Emerson so he couldn't do those atrocities anymore, someone had to put an end to these chain of events and he was the right guy to do this.

The problem was that Gene didn't trust him yet. Yes, he was working for the guy, but his job was to sell drugs, nothing more, he wanted to be part of the "minor's operation", and the only thing he could do was wait, and that's what he was doing, he was waiting patiently for the Big Boss to trust him.

Laying on his bed his mind drifted to his friends from 15, and of course, Andy, he missed her so much, he even missed her allergy to silence, _not that I will admit this to her one day. Oh god, I hope she is ok. _He missed her smell and her smile. _How could Callaghan cheat on her? I would never do that to her. _He missed teasing her and he missed buying her coffee. _I hope one day she will see that I can make her really happy, and for that to happen I would have to talk to her about what I really feel, but apparently I'm a coward and every time I try to talk to her I choke. Such a pussy, man up Sam._

* * *

><p><em>FLASHBACK<em>

Parade was almost starting, the rooks were gathered at the front row chatting about their day while Noelle, Oliver and Jeremy were leaning against the back wall laughing about Dov and his rookie mistakes. Andy glanced around the room trying to find Sam but gave up when she realized he wasn't there, which was very unusual, he was always so punctual. Best began his speech, Epstein with Williams, Peck and Shaw, Diaz and Nash at the front desk and lest but not least McNally with Swarek.

"McNally, Swarek will be here in a minute, you can wait for him outside at the cruiser" Best called before leaving the room

Ten minutes later she spotted him coming, she could see that something wasn't right, his face was a little bit serious, but she thought that maybe she was imagining things.

"Sorry, I had to do something" he said, handing her the keys of the cruiser. When she didn't catch them he said "c'mon, you are driving today, unless you don't want to?"

"No sir, I want to. Thank you very much" she thanked him, a little surprised by his action _something is definitely wrong._

"So, is everything alright sir?" Andy asked after a while of comfortable silence

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Are you ok? Do you need something?"

She found marvelous the way he was always worried about her, nobody ever cared about her so much "yes, I'm fine, better than never actually, my new apartment is ready, Luke doesn't bother me at the station anymore, and my former T.O. is letting me drive, I couldn't ask for more"

"Well, it can always be better. Pull over at that diner" Sam said pointing to a small and colorful diner. She did as she was told to "you stay here, I'll be back in 5 minutes" he said, leaving the car

5 minutes later Sam was back, two cups of coffee on his right hand and one brown bag on the other hand. He entered the car and handed a cup to Andy "this one is for you, the way you like it"

She couldn't believe, _he remembered that this is my favorite diner_, she told him about it once but they never actually stopped by to buy coffee here "Sam, thank you very much, you sure know how to make my day better" she thanked him and looked at the brown bag on his lap "I bet you are wondering what's in the bag right? Well, I know how much you like strawberry cookies, so I bought you some. Hope you like them"

"Oh my God, you are scaring me a little, why are you being so nice to me? Not that I'm not loving it, but…why?"

"Well, if you want I can eat them by myself, and we can switch places so I can drive. Is that what you want McNally?"" he tried to sound mad but failed

"No, no, I was just thinking…" before she could complete he replied "don't, don't think, can you do that?" she nodded "ok, now let's get going"

The shift was very busy and before they could see it was the end of the day, Andy parked the squad car and they both headed out to the locker room to get changed.

Andy was alone in there, she told Traci she would meet her at The Penny and was just finishing pinning her hair when she heard someone walk through the door, she imagined it would be some girl from the night shift, but it wasn't, it was Sam, he coughed to get her attention, she turned her head and saw him "Sam? What are you doing here? "

He hesitated a little "I … hum, it's that… hum, I need to talk to you"

Andy frowned, it wasn't normal for her to see Sam so unsure of something "ok, but don't you prefer to talk at The Penny? Can't it wait?"

"No, I need to talk now"

She sat on the bench and motioned for him to sit by her side and he did as he was told to. Andy didn't want to pressure him so she gave him time, she knew he would talk when he was ready but she was getting nervous. Sam kept fidgeting with his fingers, he didn't know where to start, he didn't want to upset his partner, his friend. He took a deep breath, looked at the floor and began "look, I think I owe you the truth, that's why I am here, I wasn't supposed to tell you" she tried to interrupt him but he raised his finger to stop her "just hear me. Like I was saying, I wasn't supposed to tell you, but you are my partner and my friend, we have each other's back no matter what right? This morning, when I said I had to do something, actually I was talking to Boyd, he came to ask me to go undercover, and I said yes" he finished and waited for Andy to say something, but she didn't

They stayed in silence for at least 5 minutes, Andy trying to process everything and Sam staring blankly at the ground. Finally she broke the uncomfortable silence "so, you are going undercover? When? Why? For how long?"

"It just felt right, that's why I took it. I don't know for how long, I won't lie to you, I know it won't be short, this case is complicate so it will take me some time. I have to go like, now, today, the plan was to go in a week but something happened and Boyd told me that I needed to go today. So here I am, trying to say goodbye to you."

Andy felt a tear rolling down on her cheek but she didn't care "I'm going to miss you Sam, I really am" she said

"I will too, but I promise I will be back as soon as possible, you won't even notice that I'm gone. And before I forget, you have to promise me that you will stay out of trouble, 'cause you know, I like you just the way you are, I don't want to be back and see you with 3 missing fingers or I don't know, a new scarf on your pretty face ok?" he tried to lighten the mood. Andy giggled at his remark "okay, I promise, but the same goes to you, no broken bones and no bullet holes" he smirked and agreed "so, you think I have a pretty face? Nice to know Swarek" she winked at him

"Yes, I do, and you know that, I always tell you that you are beautiful" he saw that she was blushing

"Ok, Boyd is waiting for me, see you soon McNally" Sam stood up and was almost leaving the room when he heard Andy call his name, he turned and looked at her, she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck "I want to give you this before you go" she closed the distance between them and met his lips with hers, the kiss was slow, full of desire and promise, after a while the need of air became too much and they broke the kiss, Sam rested his forehead against Andy's and whispered "I want you to know that I like you a lot, you are very important to me and I will miss you like hell"

"Thank you very much Sam, for everything, you are my rock, so I demand that you come back to me as soon as possible" Andy said, kissing him one more time

* * *

><p>That was definitely one kiss he would never forget, sometimes when things were bad he just sat at his couch, thinking how bad he wanted to come back home so he could kiss her again or maybe take her out on a dinner, and he was working on that, he was giving his best to try and close this case as soon as he could.<p>

He was brought back to reality when his phone rang "A.M, we need you"


	2. february 17th

He was brought back to reality when his phone rang "A.M, we need you" it was Rudolph, one of Gene's goons

"I'm free, where do you want me?" Sam knew that he shouldn't be asking questions, so he kept with the basic, he could find out what was the job about later

"I'm picking you up in 5, be ready" and just like that, he hung up.

Sam prepared himself, loaded his gun, checked if the cameras were on and waited for the man outside his apartment, a minute or so later he saw a black car pull up and Rudolph waving at him. He sat at the backseat, and before he could speak, the goon said "look A.M, this is big, so be prepared, keep your mouth shut and your eyes wide open, if you see something suspicious, you tell me, I will stay with you all the time, be prepared to use your gun, and you are only here because we had a problem with Jackson, he wasn't reliable, and I told the Big Boss you were, 'cause you have been with us for 7 months now, so you take your chance and don't screw up, if you do things correctly, maybe you will be called more often for this kind of mission, are we good to go now?" Rudolph glared intensely at him and Sam just nodded _thank God I've got an opportunity, just don't screw up Sammy, you can do this, next time you will bust them, just play it cool, you can do this_

They parked the black car in front of the harbor and stayed there, watching nothing specific, they spent their time chatting, Rudolph wasn't a bad guy and Sam knew that, he told him about his past and his family, he didn't know why, but Rudolph trusted him, and that was a good thing

"So, do you have kids Rudolph?"

As soon as Sam asked about his kid, Rudolph smiled, he was a proud dad "yeah, I do, her name is Kayla, she is gorgeous, just like her mom, she is the most precious thing I have in my life, and you? Never thought about having your family?"

"Nah, I never found the right girl, maybe one day, you never know, but for now, it's just me"_ liar liar liar, you found the one, but you are afraid to tell her how you feel, such a pussy Sammy!_

"Your loss. You know, I only do this job because I want to give them a better life and a nice future, I would give them the world if I could. The day Kayla was born was probably the happiest day of my life"

"And when was that?"

"February 17th. But do you know something…"

As soon as Rudolph mentioned February 17th, Sam remembered his last February 17th, 8 months ago

* * *

><p><em>FLASHBACK<em>

February 17th, that was not her favorite date, that's for sure, it was a date she would rather forget, pretend it didn't existed, sometimes she wished she could just sleep right through February 17th, but that was impossible, her job awaited for her, so she got up, put her best poker face and headed to 15th.

She was late, again, but she didn't care, not today, she just wanted the day to be over soon

"Nice of you to join us McNally" Best stated before continuing his speech "Shaw with Diaz, Williams with Epstein, Nash you go with Callaghan to the morgue, Peck and McNally, front desk and Swarek, you are riding solo today. Now go, serve, protect and make me happy"

Andy was so distracted looking at nowhere that she didn't even notice that parade was over _oh God, who am I paired with? It must be Sam again._

Sam watched her, he silently studied her face and features and when he saw that she didn't get up when parade was over, he approached her "I'm sorry to disturb your thoughts, but are you ok?"

She was surprised to hear his voice, she thought nobody was there anymore "Sam!"

"Oh, I see that you know my name, nice!"

"Shut up drama queen, I'll meet you at the cruiser in 5 minutes ok?"

"Definitely you are not fine, we are not together today, you are with Peck, front desk McNally, what's wrong with you?"

_Ughh! Front desk, really? With Peck? Oh God _ "Oh, ok, so I better go" he didn't miss the deception and sadness on her voice tone "Andy, wait!" she stopped, and turned around, waiting for him to continue "do you want me to switch places with the blonde? I can talk to Best about it"

_No, you are a bad company today Andy, send him away _"I appreciate it, but no, thanks, I'm fine, really, just tired ok? Now will you excuse me? I need to use the bathroom"

10 minutes later she got out of the bathroom and headed to the front desk, however, the person answering the phone wasn't Peck, it was him "Sam, what… I don't understand…I…uh…" _what is he doing here? Not that I don't want him here, but today…I don't know_

"Chill McNally, suddenly I felt a little sick, weird hun?"

She couldn't help the grin that spread on her face "Oh my God, what a liar"

"Says who? Now, go grab us some coffee, today is going to be a long day"

After 10 hours of work, they were exhausted, Sam managed to make some good jokes and was pleased to see Andy laughing, he even played the "20 questions" game with her, only to see her happy. Sitting at The Penny alone, he played with his glass of scotch, ten minutes later, she sat beside him "Drinking alone? Where are your friends?"

"Ollie had to go 'cause Zoe is sick, Noelle has a big date today, Jerry is hanging around with Nash and you are right here. That's pretty much it. And you? Why are you here? I can see your friends playing darts, why aren't you there?"

"It's just that I'm not in the mood to party and I wanted to say thanks for today, I needed that, the good company, the lame jokes and stuff" she was being honest with him, he was able to lighten her mood on a very bad day, and she was grateful for that

"Hey, don't make fun of my jokes, but you don't have to thank me, I know you needed that"

"Hun?" she got a little lost

He downed the rest of his scotch and thought if he should tell her, _I better tell the truth _"February 17th. I know what today means for you, and I just wanted to be there for you, always there when it matters, remember?"

_How could he know? I never told him. But of course he knows, he is Sam "_oh…" was the only word she could form right now

Seeing that he took her by surprise, he continued "Andy, I just think you should let your friends help you more often, it's not good to suppress this kind of emotions, I'm not saying you should tell the world about it, what I'm saying is that we have seen what denial can do to a person, I have Sarah as an example and you have your Dad, they didn't share, and look what happened. If you have friends, use them, they can give you strength when you are feeling weak or down, don't be afraid to let them help you, I mean, they are your family, so you don't have to be ashamed to ask for support. Today I wanted to be there for you because I didn't want to see you having to deal with this all alone, everybody has a date to forget, I've got mine too, but every year Oliver and Jerry are there for me, 'cause even if I don't want to, they try to make my day better, and at the end of the night, I'm glad for having them to cheer me up. So, no need to thank me, I'm your friend, that's the least I could do" he finished his speech, not knowing where did all that came from, he was surprised as hell if he was being honest with himself _maybe is the scotch ,_ he glanced at Andy and waited for her to respond

"I don't know what was I thinking when I thought you were a bad-boy, this is the most valuable thing anyone have ever told me Sam, I really appreciate it, I don't have words to describe what you mean to me Sam, I know that I screwed up after the blackout, and I'm glad that you could forgive me and still accept my friendship, 'cause right now, it's safe to say that you are my rock, believe me, there are days that I don't want to get out of bed, just like today, but then, you flash me your dimples, you throw some lame joke at me and seems like everything will be fine, and I don't know how you manage to do that" she looked deep in his eyes to assure him that her words were true

"I would never turn my back to you McNally, ever" he liked to hear her speaking about her feelings for him, it was comforting

"So, when is your date? I want to be there for you Sam, just like you were for me"

_There is no reason not to tell her, so why not? She already knows about Sarah "_January 18th" he replied sincerely, looking at his glass and remembering about his sister

"I'll be there" she stood there, just looking at him, watching him think about Sarah _I should probably leave him alone now _ "I need to go, Luke is working, so Chris is driving me home, and I can see that he is gathering his stuff to go away, and thank you again"

"Ok, but before you go, I want you to know that it's her loss you know, you turned out great, better than great actually, she lost probably the best thing she would ever get, which is to be loved by you, 'cause you are one in a million McNally. Don't forget that"

With tear in her eyes, she gave him a kiss on the cheek , waved good bye and turned away _oh my God, what is wrong with him? Why is he saying all this beautiful stuff to me, I mean, he is making me cry, that's not normal, Sam never does that, he is always nice, but not that much, I think I'm lucky to have him as a friend…FRIEND…I don't like this word_

* * *

><p>Sam was brought back to planet earth with Rudolph shaking his shoulder "A.M? A.M? dude, what's wrong with you, you've been like a statue for a long time now, focus bro, you need to focus here, ok?"<p>

_Focus Sam, you need to focus, right, who am I kidding, with McNally on my mind I can never focus _"I'm sorry, it's just that I was distracted, won't happen again, promise. What are we doing here by the way?"

"Ok, we are here watching the harbor, waiting for the shipment, there is lots of new stuff coming to us, nothing you need to know about though, our job is to pay attention and see if there is officers, or another gang around here trying to screw with our plans, if there is, than we shoot, no mercy, hear me?"

He wasn't ready to shoot a colleague, so he prayed that they wouldn't be around patrolling "yeah, no mercy, I got it"


	3. the plan

Two weeks, it had been two weeks since his first big operation, it looked like things were getting better for him, he was constantly being called to participate of bigger things, Gene and the goons weren't beating him anymore, and people were beginning to trust him on the streets. Sam knew that something big was about to happen, he just hoped that he could gather enough information to pass to Boyd so the man could think about a plan to bust the gang without killing anyone innocent. It was time to go home, he missed his personal things, he didn't want to be there anymore, he wanted to check on Sarah and his nephew, he wanted to know how McNally was, he definitely missed her, more than he would ever admit. It was November 27th and he didn't want to spend Christmas on this hell hole, Oliver's party was way more better.

Sam was reading a book when his phone rang, it was Rudolph "hey man, what's up?"

"A.M, do you remember when I said that if you did your job right maybe the boss would call you again? Well, I was right, he wants you, the day after tomorrow, the same thing, I'll pick you up at eight but nothing is going down until midnight, we will be together again but this time we won't be doing surveillance, we will receive and transport the shipment along with Tom, Jackson, James, Vince and Carter, then we will meet Gene at the warehouse, next to Saline's bar. This time there will be six armed gooses to watch the entry so we will be safe. This is it bro, it's the big thing, are you ready for this?"

Playing it cool Sam answered "I was born ready, you know that"

Rudolph gave him a scandalous laugh "ok, the day after tomorrow, be ready. Bye"

_This is it, this is my chance to get out of here, I need to call Boyd now_

"Boyd, it's me. Listen, we have a chance to get them, you are going to have to think fast, 'cause we don't have much time. It will be in two days, I'll pick up the product with Rudolph and 5 others, then we will go to a warehouse to meet Gene, it's the one near Saline's, he needs to check his commodities, and that's where you come, but I must warn you, six gooses with big guns will be protecting us, that makes us 14, be sure that nobody escapes ok? I want them all locked up, and please, protect my friends from 15th, I don't want to see any of them getting hurt"

Boy was a little overwhelmed, two days was too fast "two days? 14 guys? I need to think fast Sammy, I need to gather everybody and brief them, but don't worry, we will make it, we are bringing you home buddy, have to go now, see you soon, thanks Sam"

"I trust you Boyd" actually he didn't, but there was no other option, Boyd was the responsible for everything so he would have to trust him

_Done, now I sit and wait. I wonder what my friends are doing, what is SHE doing, is she seeing anyone? I mean, she is young and beautiful, it's only natural that she will meet somebody eventually, but maybe she is waiting for me, she did kiss me at our last day together. No, of course she is not waiting for you, it has been 8 months, she probably doesn't even remember how you look like anymore. Oh God, I just want to talk to her, two more days Sam, just two more days_

* * *

><p><em>FLASHBACK<em>

"I said NO McNally, I'm not going to talk about that, period." Sam said a little bit annoyed with her persistence

She loved seeing him losing his temper "Come on Sam, I thought we were friends, friend talk about it"

"NO! Which part of "NO!" you didn't get? Just drop it, go talk to Nash about it" he said glancing at her to see that she was laughing of his face, which just made everything worse

"But I know all about Traci's ex-boyfriends, now I want to know about yours"

"Are you deaf or what McNally?" he gripped tighter on the steering wheel

Playing her last card she tried again "Oh, I see, you never had a girlfriend, that's ok Sam, don't need to be ashamed"

He knew what she was trying to do, but at the same time he wanted to shush her, so he went for the truth "Amanda, blond, curly hair, we were seven, she was my first girlfriend, we were classmates, I remember that every day she would bring be a sandwich, it was delicious, but we broke up because I shoved her doll's hair, she said she never wanted to talk me again, I respected that. Second girlfriend was Kate, dark hair, green eyes, I was thirteen, I like her because she used to do all my homework until the principal found out and called my mother, I was grounded for six months, the girl ended up moving to New York a year later. Third girlfriend was Jenny, Sarah's friend, I was 25 and she was 31, I really liked her, one day though I found out that she was lying to me, she had a daughter, I was a little overwhelmed and asked for some time alone, two days later I went to visit Kate and said that I wanted to be with her and that I would help with her daughter. About one month later Kate's ex-husband, Jack, came back and she decided to give him another chance, that was painful. And last but not least, Monica, she…" before Sam could talk anything about Monica, Andy interrupted him

"Ok, ok, ok, that is enough, don't want to hear about her" she said with annoyance on her tone, which didn't go by unnoticed by Sam

"McNally, I didn't know you are the jealous type"

_Ohoh, I got caught_ "what? I'm not, I just don't like her, that's all"

"But you don't even know her, I think you are being unfair"

Like a childish kid she crossed her arms and stared at the window "no, I'm not"

"Ha, ok, Mrs. Jealousy, you were the one that asked me about my ex's"

"First, Mrs. Jealousy my ass, second, I'm not talking about that anymore"

"Thank God, can we enjoy the silence now? My ears appreciate it"

"No, I said I wasn't talking about your ex's anymore, not that I wasn't talking at all"

Sam muttered under his breath "can somebody shoot me please?"

"Hey, I heard that, not cool Sam, not cool"

* * *

><p><em>Oh Sam, you have to stop thinking about that girl, it's time to talk to her, tell her everything, maybe she even feels about you the same way you feel about her. Ok, that's what I'm going to do, I won't lose another chance with her. Now go out and sell some drugs, it's your last day, you can't act different, you have to be the same A.M, so get out of this couch, get your drugs and get out of here, in two days this will be all over.<em>


	4. he is back

SAM'S P.O.V

"POLICE! NOBODY MOVES!"

"Fuck" I heard somebody say

From the corner of my eye I could see Gene sending me and the guys a sign, he was telling us to shoot, we draw our guns and the shooting started, I couldn't hurt my friends, so I kept missing my shots, praying that nobody from the gang would notice. The cops started to shoot too so I ran to hide behind a turned table, I felt my back burn a little but couldn't see what was it. With my eyes closed I prayed to God, even though I'm not very religious, I prayed for Him to protect everybody from 15th, this little "war" wasn't supposed to be happening. I didn't realize that the sound of the bullets had ceased, my view was very blurred, maybe from the adrenaline, I don't know, but a while later I looked around and saw Jackson and Vince lying dead on the floor, Carter, Rudolph, Gene, Tom and James being arrested.

A familiar voice brought me to reality "Sam, are you ok brother?" it was Oliver, my best friend

At that simple question, I thought _am I ok? No, I'm not ok, what the hell is wrong with the world, why would somebody do something so inhuman like Gene did? That's not fine, I can't be fine with it_ but I nodded my head, indicating that I was ok

"Come on, help us get them out of here" he nodded towards the room where those poor kids were waiting for something bad to happen to them. I followed him in and took a moment to look around, they were a little scared, I could see the fear in their eyes, how could they not be? Scanning the room I saw a body of a boy, he wasn't moving so I ran to him to check if he was alive, his pulse was too weak, his eyes looked lifeless, and he was cold, I took off my sweater and put it around him, I lifted the small boy in my arms and went outside to put him on an ambulance, hoping that he would survive. I looked back at the warehouse and decided I didn't want to go back in there anymore, it was too much for me, and I was feeling week and dizzy.

Oliver approached me and probably saw that I wasn't looking too good "Sammy, go home, you need to rest, you have been through a lot" he was with a hand o my back and when he pulled it out I saw something red on his fingers. Blood?

"Sam, you are hurt, take your shirt off, we need to see what is it" he demanded more than asked

No, I didn't want to take my shirt off, I just needed my bed, I could check this out later, I was tired, very tired, my legs were heavy "it's nothing, just a scratch probably, don't worry, I'm a big boy" and just when I was finishing my sentence, my legs gave in and I passed out

* * *

><p>"I would like to talk to Oliver Shaw please" a very sympathetic nurse walked in on the waiting room, when Oliver stepped up she led him to a private room "Ms. Shaw, you are the one on Ms. Swarek emergency contact list, that's why you are here. So, your friend, he is fine, his "scratch" was actually a bullet, but it didn't hit any vital organs, he will be sore for a couple of days and we will keep him here for five days because he lost a lot of blood, but that is it. Do you have any questions?"<p>

"A bullet? Well, thank God he is fine, when can I see him?"

"Give us 30 minutes, you can go back to the waiting room and we will get you when everything is ready"

When Oliver got back to his fellow officers, he briefed them about Sam's health and not 15 minutes later there was only him, Best, Noelle, Jerry and Nash sitting on those uncomfortable chairs. Traci quietly asked Oliver what was bugging her for a long time "Shaw, do you think I should call Andy? I mean, they were friends, show would like to know. And besides, she will call me to ask about the bust"

Yes, she was right, Andy would like to know, but Sam was fine, she could visit him tomorrow "No, don't tell her, Tommy is sick and he needs her, we can talk to McNally tomorrow, when she calls you tell everything went according to the plan" that's when Traci's phone rang, he listened when she lied to her best friend and short after that she hung up. Not long after the phone call, the same sympathetic nurse came back to tell them that Sam was ready to see them

* * *

><p>The next day was very uneventful for Sam, nurses checking on him the whole day, asking the same stupid questions "<em>how are you feeling?" "Do you need anything?" "are you in pain?" <em>, he was about to freak out when someone knocked on the door, thinking that it was another boring round of questions, he didn't even opened his eyes to welcome the intruder

"You broke our deal" she whispered, trying not to wake him

At first he thought he was imagining things, but when she caressed his hair he recognized her scent and her unmistakable presence. _Andy_

"What took you so long McNally?" he said, still not opening his eyes, enjoying her soft touch on his messy hair

Andy was surprised and relieved to hear that gruff voice again "Oh, so you did miss me? That's new, I'm surprised" she said, taking her hand off of his hair. He didn't want her to stop so he guided her hand with his to the same place where it was just two seconds ago, silently asking her to continue, which took her by surprise "No, actually, I need you to take me out of here, I want to go home, I need to go home, can't anybody understand that?"

She gave him a sarcastic laugh "No way, I came here to see you, not to help you run away. Can open your eyes and look at me Sam?" he did what he was told to, he looked directly into her soft, brown eyes, but what she saw there scared her a bit, it was a mix of sadness, anger, frustration and pain, something she never saw before "Sam, are you ok? I mean, this case was very deep, very inhuman, you look physically different and emotionally drained, I know this is very boring but you can talk to me if you want" that was something Andy knew it would piss Sam, but she also needed him to know she was there to help him

Sam took a deep breath to control his anger and replied her in a slow, controlled voice "look, I know you want to help me, but I'm not going to talk to a shrink and I'm not going to talk to you about this either. How can I? Nobody can begin to understand how I feel and what I went through, so please, just drop it, I don't want to fight with you, okay?" he said, trying to be subtle to not hurt Andy

"Do you want me to leave Sam? I can come back tomorrow if you want" she asked, afraid that he might send her home

"McNally, you can do what you want, but I don't want you to leave, I want you to talk to me, I tell me what happened while I was gone, although I bet your life was boring without me" he teased her, suddenly lightening the mood on the room "how is everybody? Your father? My friends?"

_This is the Sam I know, the Sam I like. _She pulled a chair beside his bed and sat down "So full of yourself, but you are right, it was boring, not much happened, my father is great, I'm proud of him, sober for more than a year, Luke doesn't bother me anymore with flowers and all that crap, he is dating a woman named Kelly I guess, she is from 27th, detective too. Seems like my life is finally normal, which is great"

_So, no more Callaghan, thank God _"I'm happy for Tommy, he deserves that, and you deserve it too" Sam felt silent for a moment, but after a moment he said what he wanted to "you know, I missed you, 8 months is too long, sometimes I thought about quit, I just didn't because I knew that those kids needed my help, but some days It was too much, I dialed your number a couple of times because I needed to talk to somebody who would listen to me, but then I realized how dumb that was"

It was comforting for Andy to hear Sam saying such things, normally he would just tease her and wouldn't open up to her like he did, so she tried to be honest with him too "well, I wish you had called, I would be happy to help you, you always help me, but on the other hand I know it would be a mistake to make the call. I'm just happy you are back, turns out my life isn't that much exiting when you are not present, so I expect you to stay around for a long time"

"Hm, just because you asked so nicely I'm going to think about it. Now, could you please caress my hair again? That's very good"

"Ohhhh, you are needy. That's cute" she couldn't help the tease

"Shut up McNally" it was so nice to have her around again, maybe he would have his chance soon


	5. my life story

"Hey Oliver, what are you doing here brother?" Sam asked when he saw his friend uniformed standing beside his bed

"Oh, sorry to wake you Sam, but I'm on my break and Sgt. Best told me to come down to tell you that they are ready to take your statement and that they can send a detective here anytime, you just have to say when is the best time for you"

"It's not like I have anything else to do, so they can come tomorrow morning, I don't mind, I just want to finish this case, I'm tired of this thing you know, I …, I don't know, I'm thinking that I might quit from UC op, I'm getting old and I think it's time for me to take care of my life, but that's something I have to think about, it's not a decision to make without further thought" Sam confessed to his friend what was crossing his mind for a long time now

Oliver was indeed surprised, this job was what Sam loved "Well, I'm sure you have your reasons, and maybe they have something to do with a rookie? But hey, that's none of my business"

"Yeah, you are right, it is none of your business, so just shut up, I don't even know why I told you about that anyway" he gave his friend a look that said end of discussion. After a few moments quiet, looking at the palm of his hand, Sam asked what was bugging him "Oliver, do you remember that night, the night of the bust?" seeing his confirmation, he proceeded "and do you remember that I found a boy, almost dead?" another nod "so, do you have any news? Did he make it? Is he alive?"

"Look, the doctor told us that he would survive, he was dehydrated, anemic and he has a broken arm, but he would make it. If I'm not wrong I think he is here, at this hospital too, the other ones are already being send back to their families, some of them were missing for 6 months, even more. Most of them are from England, but that boy is from Russia, and from what he told to the detectives, he doesn't have a family, his mom was from Canada and his dad was Russian, they got married in Moscow and one year ago they died on a car accident, the boy was living with his Grandmother, but the lady was too old and she passed away too, he was living on the streets, and that's when a man from Gene's gang saw him and offered him a place to stay, with food and a warm blanket, the boy accepted of course, he didn't thought that the man was going to hurt him. So he will stay at an orphanage until they can find the rest of his family, that is, if he has one" Oliver knew that this boy's story would affect Sam in many ways, he was sure that he would sympathize with it, but he also knew that he would never admit it, he was his friend for more than fifteen years and Sam had mentioned his story of life once, and that was because he was drunk. Coughing to clear his throat and to get Sam's attention Oliver told him it was time to go

Lost in his thoughts Sam didn't pay attention to Oliver's wish of get better soon, he just looked at his friend and said a simple "bye" _why? Why did Oliver told me about him? I just asked if he was alright, oh God, I need to get out of this room, I need to feel the fresh air. _And just when he was trying to get up a nurse showed up to check on him _great, just what I need_

"So, are you feeling better today Sam?" she tried to sound cheerful and nice

"Hey Maureen, do you think I could take a walk? I need to, and I'm being a good patient, I think I deserve it, don't you?" he pleaded

Maureen, the nurse, was an old lady, she looked like the typical grandmother and she really liked Sam, she knew he was restless so she agreed "ok, you can go, it's almost 3 P.M now, you have to be back until 5 P.M, if you don't, I'll call the cops" she chuckled "no, but serious, be back until 5 P.M, there is a nice lake near the chapel, it's a good place to think, it's quiet and nobody will bother you there"

Excited that he could go out, Sam lifted Maureen by her waist and spun her around, he gave her a kiss in each cheek "I could marry you if you weren't already married you know that right?" and just like that he left, leaving behind an amused nurse

Sitting at a bench, Sam took a deep breath, he closed his eyes to feel the cold breeze, he observed a bird landing beside him to make him company, he looked at the sky and his mind drifted to when he was a boy, he remembered Marie, the lady who taught him everything he knew, she was the responsible for who he was today, he owed her so much, she showed him the meaning of happiness, she showed him what family meant, he remembered when she used to do pancakes for breakfast on special dates, or when she woke him up with a mug of coffee and some toasts in bed, that was for sure a time he would never forget.

He wasn't paying attention to anything particular and he was startled when a small shadow covered him, looking over his shoulder he saw a boy standing near him, they looked at each other, Sam observing how fragile he looked and the kid watching with amusement the one who saved him, his eyes were still gray, but they weren't cold anymore, they held an welcoming warmth. Not knowing what to do, Sam just gave him a pointed look as asking what was the boy doing there, he shrugged and moved to sit on the grass "what is your name?" Sam asked

The boy looked at him frowning, trying to comprehend what he was saying, because although his mom was Canadian, he wasn't used to the English language. Sam realized that he was having trouble to understand and tried again "me Sam" he pointed to his chest "you?" he held his finger raised to the boy. That seemed to make him understand "Lev", "me, Lev, you Sam" he repeated Sam's moves.

After that they said nothing more, they just sat there in a comfortable silence, after half an hour, Lev got up and walked away, giving Sam a sharp nod._ What just happened? _The time passed flying and it was already 5 P.M, it was time for him to come back but he didn't want to, he was feeling good there, and he knew that once inside his bedroom he would feel trapped again, like a caged animal, a voice coming from very far made him turn to see who was calling him, it was Andy. He walked slowly to her "hey" he offered simply

"Hey, I just got here and Maureen said where I could find you. Are you ok?" Andy asked

"That depends, if you are here to take me home, I'm fine, but if you are here to nag me, I'm not fine. So, which one is it?"

"pfff, none, I told you I won't help you run away, but I'm not here to nag you either, I came to stay with you a little, make you some company, talk, whatever" she smiled to him, lightening his mood

"Hm, ok. That's not bad, it could be worse, but it could be better too. Anyway, how are you? Weren't you working today?"

"Oh, no, I took some days off, my dad is sick, nothing serious, but anyway, I took some time to take care of him, that's why I wasn't there that day by the way" Andy explained to him, and he was pleased to hear that, not that he was expecting her to be there for him that day, but he would be lying if he said he didn't want to see her right after the bust, but again, they were just friends, nothing more, it wasn't her obligation to be there.

"Oh, and is he fine now? Do you need anything? I know that I'm useless now, because I'm stuck here, but if you need something, just say so, I'll do anything I can to help you and Tommy" he asked, really concerned for her and trying to show that once again she could count on him

It amazed her how protective Sam could be, she smiled thinking about his protective side "chill Sam, he is fine now, it was just the flu, but thanks, if I need anything I will come to you, and now that you said, I might need something from you. Your truck" she looked at him, expectantly, hoping that he would agree "what? I'm sorry, I thought I heard you said you needed my truck" he stopped walking and scratched his ear

"Too much? Ok, but one day you will lend me that thing" she giggled, not caring that he wouldn't lend her his "baby"

They continued their walking in silence, Andy glancing at Sam and humming an unknown song and Sam just thinking about his life and Lev's story again, something that he was doing a lot today "Sam, what are you thinking right know? I can see you frowning, and sometimes it looks like you are in pain, but then when I look at your face again, looks like you are in peace, it's so contradictory, and I'm curious, what's crossing your mind?" Andy asked after seeing so many emotions crossing his eyes

_What? How can she know that I'm thinking about important things? I'm not easy to read, am I? I don't want to tell her, it's personal, not that I don't trust McNally, it's just… I don't know what is it_. Realizing that it was something that he didn't want to talk about, she gave up and continued her humming.

"Look, if I'm going to talk about this, then we should sit, it can be long, so, let's sit" she looked at him surprised that he really wanted her to know what was on him mind

"I never talk about it with anyone, I don't know why, I just don't like it, but since it's you, I can make an exception. When I was born, my mom died, they tried to save me and her, but in the end they had to choose between one of us, and like every good mother, she chose me, Sarah was four at the time and my dad was thirty six, of course he blamed me for the most time, I don't remember that because I was too young, but Sarah told me the real story sometime ago, she told me that she hated me for a long period too, and I can't blame her, I think I would hate her if things were reverse. Anyway, dad was trying really hard to take care of us, so he worked from 8:00 to 03:00, he was a plumber during the day and at night he worked as a body-guard at a night club, one day something went wrong and what was supposed to be a robbery became a murder, he died on the ambulance, I was five, I remember the police knocking on my door to give us the news. The child support came to see us and they said that probably me and Sarah wouldn't be able to stay together. That was the first day that I really cried, I didn't want to let her go, Sarah was my everything. And then Marie showed up, she was a lady that lived at the end of our street and she used to take care of us when we were sick or on vacation, she saw everything, she was my mother's friend and I don't know why, but she adopted us, she gave us a nice home to stay, she was so lovely, she became the mother that I never had. Sarah was a little bit rough with her, but Marie didn't care, she treated us as her own kids, her husband worked a lot and she stayed with us the whole day, she paid a psychologist for us, so we could deal with the things we were going through, she supported me when I told her I wanted to become a cop, she always told me I would be the best, and I have to thank her, because without her, I don't know where I would be right now, but I'm sure it wouldn't be here. When Sarah was 20, she moved out to St. Catherine, I guess she was never really close to Marie. Her husband, Antin, died two years after that, I was 18 and I knew that I had to look for a job, Marie couldn't work, she was too old, and it was only the two of us, Chase gave me a job at his supermarket, so I worked there to pay for our expenses. I remember that every day when I got home she was waiting for me with a nice dinner, and after we would sit and watch a movie or just talk about everything. Marie was the one who taught me how to play cards, we did that a lot, she was very good. I can't remember a time where I was so happy. She died about ten years ago, she was 84, and after her death I decided to work UC, to run from the pain that I was feeling. And sometimes I just keep thinking that if It wasn't for Maries adoption I would be lost in life"

Andy was trying to process everything he said, Sam was never the one to talk about his life, but she could see that he was venting, and she knew what he was trying to say, so she just sat there, staring at his face until he was ready to start talking again "I know that you know what I'm trying to say, I know that what I am about to do is the right thing, it's almost as a legacy, it's something that I need to do, even though I might not be prepared, it's like a sign Andy, Marie would be proud" he looked at her eyes for the first time and was glad that she didn't felt pity for him and his life story

"Sam, you need to do what you think It's the right thing, I'm here, I told you, I'll be here for anything, and I'm glad you told me about you" she gave him her best smiled and caressed his hair, just like he liked

"Well, for my surprise, I'm feeling better, but don't think that you are special just because you are the only one who knows everything, 'cause you are not"

"Just between you and me, I know I am" and as if it was the most natural thing, she leaned and gave him a kiss on his lips, it was slow and carried a lot of promises. She pulled back after a moment and just stared at his eyes, daring him to say anything about what had happened

He grinned _hm, that was nice, more that I was hoping for_ "McNally, you know the code of my locker right? The keys to truck are there, you can take it" after that kiss he would do anything she asked


	6. why not a dog?

"Sir, are you sure you want to do this? Don't get me wrong, but I'm pretty sure that you don't have what it takes to adopt a kid" Janet Danton, the social worker, said to Sam

"What? Just because I'm not married I don't have what it takes to take care of someone?" _I could rip her head off right now, how dare she?_ Sam replied, trying to control all the anger he was feeling for that annoying woman

"Not just because you are not married, but you have a very unstable life, you work as a police officer, your shifts are long and irregular, Lev is Russian and you don't know anything about it, he would need a special school, he would need time to adjust, and looks like time is something you don't have, so I think it's best if you just forget about it, why don't you start your own family sir? or you could adopt a dog too"

Sam just stared at her, thinking about one hundred ways he could kill that lady, she was so annoying, it was like she didn't think he could take care of someone else besides him. Yes, it would be hard for him to adjust to his new lifestyle, but that was something he wanted to do, he wanted to teach Lev things, just like Marie did to him when he was young

Seeing that Sam wasn't paying much attention on her and wouldn't answer, she stood up to walk away "Look , why don't we talk when you are ready? Because right now I think you are not thinking clearly, I will be back tomorrow and we can finish this. Bye" she shook Sam's hand before he could tell her what was on his mind

This was something he wouldn't simply give up, it would take more than a social worker to make him drop his idea, maybe she was right, but why couldn't she give him a chance to prove that he could do this. Now that she was gone there was nothing he could do, he would have to wait until tomorrow, maybe he could try and be nicer to her, show her the dimples, that would help right? Who was he kidding? That woman would never trust him with a kid.

* * *

><p>"Hey, what's wrong? I've been standing here for more than five minutes waiting for you to invite me in but…nothing" Andy surprised him<p>

He was staring at the window, and his mind was far away when he heard her voice, he wasn't expecting to see her but was glad that she came "do I have to invite you? I already gave you the keys to my truck, that is pretty much a free pass to do whatever you want, including enter in my hospital room without an invitation McNally" he smirked at her

"Your truck, right, about that…" she said, looking at the floor

"What did you do to her? McNally, don't tell me that there are new bullets hole in it?" Sam was already standing from his bed to check on his truck when he heard her laughing

"Your face was priceless Sam" she said between giggles "I just wanted to say thank you aaaaaaaaaannd I have a surprise for you"

He would ask about the surprise later, now he just thought about his payback, and an idea came flying on his mind "oh, before I forget, do you know who came here to see me last night?" he said, raising his eyebrow suggestively "I'll give you a hint, I think it will be enough, because you are a smart girl. Blond and beautiful"

Andy was still laughing from her previous prank, but when Sam said about a blond and beautiful girl coming to see him, she stopped giggling right away "what was Monica doing here?" she raised her voice, angry at the thought of a girl around Sam

"Payback is a bitch Andy, remember that before you try to do something funny like you did moments ago. Callaghan came to see me, I never said it was a girl. Jesus, you have to control your jealousy, that is not healthy" he told her with a hint of sarcasm, but the truth was that he was loving to see her all worked up because of an Ex

"But… never mind, you got me, ok, I learned my lesson, I'm sorry. And oh, I am not jealous, I was just trying to protect you, she is no good to you" _I am, can't you see? Not Monica, me Sam, me"_ Now, let me tell you about the surprise. What's the first thing that you asked me every time I came here to see you?"

That was an easy one "I asked you to help me escape from here" but he didn't see the point of this question

"Well, looks like today is your lucky day, I'm here to take you home, I talked to Maureen and she told me that they are releasing you today. Now. So put your clothes on and let's go, you just have to sign some papers before you go"

Sam was ecstatic, finally he could go home, to his real home, not to that hell hole he lived when he was undercover, he missed his bed and his personal things and now, after eight months, he was going home. He got up and took off his hospital gown not even caring that Andy was right in front of him, he looked up to her face and saw that she was blushing "it's not like you haven't seen it in your first day at 15, and besides, I know that you were dying to see this beautiful and sculptural body again" he teased her

"Pffft, okay, first of all, I don't know what you were eating all this time, but your body is no longer fit and muscular, you are looking like a chicken Sam, even Dov looks stronger than you, and second, I wasn't dying to see it again because I wasn't impressed the first time I saw it" she said, trying to hide the desire she was feeling. Sam was indeed very skinny, which worried her, but now that his undercover job was over, Andy was sure he would be back to his old shape

He looked down to his torso and abdomen and shrugged "Yeah, you are right, I look like a chicken, I wasn't eating at all so I lost weight, I guess it will take some time before I go back to what I was before, but that's ok, I know you still want me anyway" he said, while putting his shoes on "ok, ready to go"

_Yes, I still want him anyway, he is right, but that's something we have to talk about, not here, not now, maybe on a dinner, who knows _"Just shut up Sam, please" she faked annoyance

* * *

><p>The drive to his house was surprisingly silence, although Sam was pleased to go home, he could not wait to go back to the hospital tomorrow to talk with the social worker, not that he didn't want Andy's company, he did, he just didn't feel like talking at that moment. Seeing that something was off, Andy tried to talk about anything, she tried to lighten his mood, but every time she tried, she failed, all she would get was a "hmmm" and sometimes a fake smile, after three or four tries, she sent him an irritated glance and went back to looking out the window, crossing her arms in front of her chest. They parked in front of Sam's doorway and neither of them moved.<p>

"I'm sorry" he said out of nowhere and waited for her to look at him "it's just that I'm a little pissed and kind of sad I guess"

To Andy, Sam wasn't making any sense, he was happy when they left the hospital twenty minutes ago "why? Did I do something wrong?"

It wasn't fair to let her think that it was her fault so he said what was really going on "no, you did nothing wrong McNally, it's just that today I talked to Janet Danton, a social worker, about… you know, the boy… and she told me that I wasn't the right person to do adopt, that I wasn't capable of taking care of him because I am not married, or something like that and in the end she suggested that I should adopt a dog instead" he looked down and shrugged, sounding defeated, which was very unlike him "maybe she is right, but I will talk to her tomorrow again"

She was a little taken aback by Sam's words, he sounded so fragile, like he was really hurt by that lady "Sam" she called and waited for him to meet her gaze, when he did, she took his hands and looked deep in his eyes "that woman, she doesn't know a thing about you, you are a great guy, you are reliable, loyal, you take care of the ones you love. Since the first day we have met, you were there to teach me how to be a great cop and a better person, you stood by my side to catch me when I fell and you helped me to stand on my feet, so if that lady thinks you are no good for that kid, well, she needs to go to a shrink. So don't act defeated, don't give up, I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day, tell her your real feelings, show her the real Sam, the Sam I know, not the stubborn, cocky Sam. Okay?"She finished, hoping he would believe in her, because she was being straight honest with him

"You are right, thank you very much. Do you want to come in? Oliver went to the supermarket and bought food, beer, stuff like that, because I had nothing here, so if you come in, I can make us something to eat, what do you say?" Sam asked her, hoping she would accept

"Sure, that's fine by me"

They walked in through the front door, Sam unlocked his door quickly "make yourself at home" he told her, before making his way to the kitchen with Andy following him. "If you want to, you can turn the TV on, or you can see the rest of the rooms if you prefer"

"I'm fine here, but thanks anyway" she said and sat at the kitchen island

After putting something on the oven, Sam took two beers from the fridge and stood in front of her, between her legs, he placed the beers beside her and stared at those beautiful brown eyes, she didn't look away, instead, she gave him her best smile and put her hands on his shoulder. Seeing that she was comfortable with their proximity he placed his right hand on her waist and with his left thumb he caressed her jaw line. Andy tilted her head to the side and leaned in, meeting Sam's lips softly at first, but after a few moments, Sam deepened the kiss, that was something both of them wanted to do for so long, it was better than they expected, they felt shivers from the base of their necks until the tip of their toes, it was so much more than just a kiss, it was a promise for something else, something special. When the need of air became too much they broke apart, Andy smiling from ear to ear and Sam showing her his dimples

"That was…I don't even have words to describe it Andy"

"Good, because I don't want you talking right now, just come here, we have better things to do" she said, pulling him for another breath-taking kiss


	7. they fight

"Traci, you are not helping, I'm serious here" Andy warned her friend

"I'm sorry, it's just that this is too funny, I would pay to see you tow arguing about nothing" she apologized, trying to make Andy feel better

"Well, it wasn't funny and it wasn't for nothing" she tried to clarify things

Since laugh wasn't helping, Traci tried to be a good friend and listen to her friend's problem "Ok, ok, tell me what happened"

* * *

><p><em>FLASHBACK<em>

Sam and Andy had agreed to meet at his place around 20:00 to head to The Penny together to celebrate Noelle's pregnancy with the other cops from 15, they weren't exactly dating, but since their kiss, five days ago, they were doing pretty much almost everything together when Andy wasn't working.

At 20:05, Andy was ringing Sam's bell, she could hear a strange noise coming from inside but no one answered the door. She tried again, and again, and again, unsuccessfully. She was in a bad mood, the shift had been extremely busy, she was tired and annoyed, but this was starting to worry her "where the hell is that man?" she muttered

Andy picked up her phone, dialed his number and went straight to voicemail "Crap"

There was nothing she could do, so she decided to pick his lock, the house was dark when she stepped in, she found the switch and turned a light on "Sam?" she called

A muffled voice coming from the bathroom caught her attention "Sam, are you ok?"

"Don't come in, just give me one second and I will be ready" his voice sounded different, a little weak and cracked. Seeing that something was off, Andy didn't hesitate and pushed the door, opening it "Omg, Sam, what the…" and what she saw had her extremely worried.

Sam was shirtless, trying to get up, he steadied himself a couple of times on the closest wall, his face was pale, he was sweating cold, shivering, and to complete it all, there was a white cloth with dry blood on the floor, the blood was from an old wound that started to bleed when he was sleeping, he probably hit the headboard too hard while dreaming and that started the bleeding "I'm fine, go get me a shirt please" he tried to sound strong, but his voice came out slurred

"Fine? This is not fine Sam, it's probably an infection from your surgery, you need to go to the hospital, I will drive you" she would not let him go out like this, he was looking bad, very bad

Sam was starting to get annoyed, he was looking forward to go out with his friend and now Andy was trying to stop him, he would not let that happen, no matter what she said "McNally, I'm a big guy, I don't need the hospital, I'm feeling better, come on, let's go, they are waiting"

"Sam, I am not going out with you like that" and she really wasn't, she was determined to drive him to the hospital

"Fine. So you stay here, I'm going, you like it or not" he said, while pacing on the living room, looking for his wallet

When she heard him say "fine", Andy thought he was agreeing to go with her, she didn't expect him to say what he said "What? Listen to yourself Sam, you are acting like a kid, stop it, you are not fine" she laughed sarcastically, something she did when she was really pissed off

He raised his voice to be very clear "You are not my mom Andy, this is my life, understand?"

He was getting on her nerves "Thank God I'm not your mom, because if I were, I would be ashamed now, you are acting like a baby" Sam didn't bother answering her, he continued looking for the wallet, so without thinking, she went deeper "You are too stubborn to admit that you need help, and your pride is so big, that you don't even allow people to help you, maybe that's why the social worker didn't call you back, because if you can't take care of yourself, you certainly can take care of two" when she finished her sentence, she knew she had gone too far

Sam stopped walking the minute he heard her mention the social worker, that cut him deep, it was a low blow and she knew it, he wanted to scream at her, and tell her to never come back, but he didn't have the energy, instead, he dropped his eyes, looked at the floor to hide the pain he was feeling and said in the most calm and dreadful voice Andy had ever heard him use "if that's what you think, maybe you should leave and look for someone different, because I grew up doing everything alone, that's who I am, I won't change, it's not stubbornness, it's my nature, and if you really think I can't take care of two, you are not the Andy I thought you were, you are not the Andy I want to be with and you are not the person I fell in love with, now if you excuse me, my friends are waiting for me" and without looking at her face, he left.

She expected him to yell at her, to freak out, but that never happened, what he did was way worst, she felt so bad for saying that to him, she knew he left feeling hurt and betrayed, she knew she had screwed things up, he had told her he didn't want to be with her anymore, she felt so lost and stupid, she wanted to cry so bad, why had she told him that if she didn't believe it? He was already feeling bad because that woman didn't call him back, all he wanted was support, not someone telling him he was useless.

Andy walked though the house, numb, lost, and that's when it hit her, he had said he fell in love with her, it was the first time, he never said that before _Oh my God _and the tears she was holding since he left, fell. There was nothing she could do now, so she left his house, feeling empty, feeling a hole on her heart.

* * *

><p>"Ohhhh, now I get why Sam got drunk that night. Sister, I'm sorry to tell you, but he looked really hurt, I love you, but you know you were wrong" she had to be honest with her friend<p>

"I know Traci, and I don't know what to do, it's been two days and I haven't heard from him" Traci could hear the regret in Andy's voice

"He knows you didn't mean what you said, maybe at the time he thought you were being serious, but now he had time to cool things off. Why don't you call him or pay him a visit? I'm sure he would be glad to talk to someone, because I know he went to the hospital and he can't get out of his house, it was an infection after all, Oliver told me while we were patrolling today" She tried to encourage her friend to do the right thing

"I knew it was infection, see? Stubborn!" she thought about what Traci said for a moment "but I don't know, he likes time and space, maybe I should wait longer. But I hate time and space, that doesn't work. You are right, I will stop by to see him, I just need to do something first. Lend me your car?" Andy said, with a mischievous grin

"Sure, just give me a ride to my place, I don't know what you are planning, but I hope this works"

It was late, Andy had left Traci at her house two hours ago and now she was standing in front of Sam's door, praying that he would give her a chance to explain herself, hoping her plann would work. She knocked...


	8. sorry

She knocked.

At first nobody answered, and she was about to give up when the door opened. She didn't recognize the woman standing there, but her face looked familiar, she had blond hair and blue eyes, she was thin and very short, around 5ft tall.

"Hello, may I help you?"

Andy hesitated a bit "Hmm, hi, I am looking for Sam, is he at home?"

"Well, right now he is taking a shower, but, you can come in if you want to, he won't be long" the woman offered Andy with a comforting smile

"I…uh, I don't know if I should…maybe I should come back tomorrow" actually Andy didn't know if Sam wanted to talk to her that's why she was so septic

"If I'm right, you are McNally, and I know that you two had a fight, he told me about it, and knowing Sam the way I do, I know he won't be happy to see you here, he is still mad, but whatever this fight was about, you two need to talk, so…come in, and I am Sarah, by the way" she motioned for Andy to come in

That's why she looked so familiar, they were so different, but at the same time, so alike. She followed Sarah inside, her hands were shaking, maybe because now she knew Sam was still mad at her. They were at the kitchen and Sarah was looking for something in the fridge, moments later she sighed and cursed "I hate that his fridge is always like this, there is nothing good to eat here, I can only find carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, white cheese, apple, pineapple, juice and water. What is wrong with that man? Where are the good stuff?" she continued her search throughout his kitchen

That was something Andy didn't know, she always saw Sam eating hot dogs and hamburgers on their lunch break, she giggled thinking that Sam actually cared about his health " to be honest with you, I thought his fridge would be full of beer and caloric stuff"

"yeah, me too, but I'm not that surprised, my brother is really strange, I mean, I don't know if you noticed, but he doesn't have a TV, well…to be fair with him, he does have a TV, but he only uses it to play videogame with my son, Eric, he says that he doesn't need one, that he only needs his books, his music and his videogame, sometimes I think that's why he is still single, why can't he be normal?"

Andy giggled seeing that Sarah was really frustrated "I can't imagine Sam being normal, I think that this strangeness is part of his charm"

Seeing that she wouldn't find real food, she gave up and went to the couch, she was exhausted, she closed her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath, Andy sat beside her waiting for Sam, after a moment of complete silence, Sarah spoke "He really likes you"

Andy just looked at her, shaking her head up and down, "me too, and I know I screwed up, but I'm here to fix my mistake" at that moment, a deep voice coming from one of the rooms caught their attention "Sarah, I need your help to change my bandage, I can't do it alone" they could hear the disappointment in his voice, Sam hated to ask for help

Sarah was starting to get up when she looked at Andy "well, it's time to fix whatever it is you did, so go, help him first, and don't get out before you two talk, if he says he doesn't want to talk to you, pretend you didn't listen, he is stubborn and he hates to talk about anything, so be patient and persistent"

Okay, now she was definitely nervous, it was time to face the beast, she didn't know what to say to him, she didn't know what to expect from him, maybe he would kick her out, maybe he would pretend he didn't see her, he could yell at her, she really was clueless towards his reaction. Andy got up, took a deep breath to calm herself, mouthed "thank you" to Sarah, and headed to his bedroom. The door was ajar so she walked in, Sam was lying on his bed, on his stomach, so he couldn't see that it wasn't Sarah.

"The gauze and everything that you need is on the sink, so hurry up" he was not in a good mood, probably because he had to ask Sarah to help him

She held her breath, walked to the sink, gathered what she needed and began cleaning his wound, she tried to be gentle, but she could feel him wincing because of the pain "Jesus Sarah, just because I told you to shut up earlier, it doesn't mean I want you to be quiet for the rest of your life" the silence was bothering Sam more than usual

Andy finished everything, stood from where she was sitting, walked to the door and quietly locked it, she took the keys and put it on her back pocket "looks like you are the one who is allergic to silence. Oh, and you should shouldn't be rude to Sarah, she's very nice by the way"

All of a sudden, the room fell silent, Sam got up from the bed, not quite believing who was standing in front of him, and Andy was standing, leaning against the door with her arms crossed in front of her chest, she looked brave, but to be true, she was shaking like hell. For five minutes or so, no one dared to move or say anything, she couldn't handle the silence any longer so she went direct to the point

"Look Sam, I am really sorry for what I said that day, I didn't mean that and you know it, I knew it would hurt you and I said it anyway, what I did was wrong, I hope you can forgive me" she said calmly

Sam laughed sadly "yeah, well, you are right, it did hurt" he looked at the floor, remembering what she said that day

It was obvious to Andy that it would take more than I'm sorry, but she truly hoped he would forgive her "I know, and you have the right to be mad at me, I get it, I really do, but I am here to say how sorry I am, I really am, and if you say that you need more time to think, I will respect that, but please, believe me when I say that I didn't mean what I said" she looked at those dark eyes, trying to convince him that she was being honest

For some reason, Sam believed her, he knew she was being honest, but at the same time, it was difficult for him to understand why she said what she did, okay, he knew she was mad at him because he was being a child, but that was such a low blow, and now that she was here, in front of him, he wasn't really sure what to do "ok, I believe in you McNally, I know you didn't mean what you said, happy now?"

"No, of course I am not happy, I will only be happy when I see that you truly forgave me, and right now, I can see in your eyes that you are still mad at me"

"Andy, you can't expect me, us, to go back to whatever we were before, in a second, it will take some time, but I forgive you McNally, you have my word, I am not lying"

"Oh, right…" Andy remembered another thing they needed to discuss "what exactly we were before?"

Sam sighed, he knew she wouldn't let go, she would stay in the room until tomorrow if she needed to "to be honest, I don't know, you can call it whatever you want to, I don't care, what I know is that I was happy with things the way they were"

"So was I, you know…after you went undercover, there wasn't a single day where I didn't think about you, about that kiss, and when you got back alive, that was probably one of the best days of my life, because I knew that my best friend was back, and now, now I feel like I am alone again, and it's quite scary"

He could kiss her right now, but he didn't, it wasn't right, instead, he walked closer to her and uncrossed her arms, he placed both hands on her shoulders, bent his knees a little and looked at her eyes "Andy, you are not alone. Yes, we had a fight, but that doesn't mean I am not here for you, I will always be here, no matter what, I was there when you were with Callaghan, so why would it be different now?"

That meant a lot to her, Sam was always so strong and supportive, she needed him, his friendship "I know we are not good yet, but can I hug you?"

He smiled and pulled her closer, he felt her hands running up and down his back, he inhaled deeply and felt Andy's scent, he missed that, he missed her warmth, she rested her head on Sam's chest and stayed there, hearing his comforting heartbeat, they only moved when someone shouted from behind the door "I am starting to get worried guys, is everybody alive in there?" it was Sarah

Sam opened the door, letting his sister come in "what do you want Sarah? I am in the middle of something here, can't you see?" he said, pointing at Andy

"Oh, I am sorry, but I am hungry, I'm going to order something, because apparently there is nothing good to eat here, and I came to ask what do you prefer, I am sorry if I interrupted something" she looked annoyed because the lack of food

"That's ok Sarah, I was about to leave anyway, it was nice to meet you, I hope I'll see you again, and you Sam, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Wait, I have an ideia, what do you say about going out to eat something? That way we can talk more and Sarah gets her food" Sam suggested, hoping she would say yes

"Are you sure? I mean, I would love to, but you don't have to do this"

"Yes, I am sure, just give me one minute to put a shirt on and we can go" Sam turned around and put a black shirt that was on his bed "ok, I am ready, let's go"

Andy remembered one thing "ohh, I have a surprise for you, it's part of my apology, but… you will have to wait until tomorrow" and just like that, she turned around, leaving a thoughtful Sam behind

Sarah was walking ahead of Andy and Sam, they were almost at the diner when Andy felt something warm, she looked down and saw that Sam was holding her hand, he lowered his head and whispered in her ear "I hope that surprise has something to do with you and a black lace, otherwise, I will be disappointed McNally" she shot him a suggestive grin and giggled. _That's what I am talking about!_


	9. meeting the sis

Sam, Andy and Sarah were having a nice dinner, they were chatting about random things and for his dismay, the girls kept making funs of Sam and his grumpiness. It was incredible how they all got along, Sarah was very receptive with Andy, which was not very common, normally, she was an ass with her brother's date, but this time, she felt something different, she saw the way they kept stealing glances at each other, she saw how comfortable Sam was around Andy, and she just knew they were it for each other

"Sarah, just...please, stop, I'm not weird, I'm just... different, and that is a good thing" Sam grumbled, not enjoying the way both girls were making fun of him

"No little bro, don't give me that, you are so weird, you eat dessert before the salad, you hate television, you never turn to your right on sunny days because you believe it's a sign of bad luck, you wake up at 5 a.m. every day to read at least two chapters of your favorite book, do you need me to go on or that's enough? Weird weird weird, that's all I've got to say" Sarah laughed at Sam's angry face

"Just stop, I'm serious, do you want me to talk about you? I don't think so, so stop Sarah, Andy doesn't want to hear this" Sam tried to keep a serious tone, he was really starting to get mad

But Sarah wasn't going to let it go that easily "Oh, she doesn't want to hear? 'Cause I think you don't want her to hear, that's what I think"

"That's it, I'm going home, you two can stay here, chatting, enjoy the walk home" he was about to get up when Andy put her hand on his tight to stop him "No, please, stay, I like to hear things about you, almost three years riding together and you never told me anything about you, your sister was just being nice, so, please, stay?" she pouted

"First, stop with the pout, that is not fair, second, Sarah is always a bitch to my friends, that's what worries me, she is never nice, this is a first, and I am kind of scared"

"Hey, I'm right here, and that's not true, I was only a bitch once, with that girl, what's her name? Mona, or whatever"

"Monica, Sarah, and let me clear your memory, but you almost ruined what we had, it took me a lot of hard work to convince her that I liked her" Sam stared angrily at his sister

"But she was a real pain in the ass, I did you a favor" she tried to argue

When the name Monica popped out, Andy was curious to know what had happened, and she was a little happy to know that Sam's sister didn't like the lady, she wasn't a fan either "What happened?"

"What happened? Well, let me see, first, Sarah let her think that we , me and Sarah, were dating, then, when I went to the bathroom, Sarah said with this exact _words "my brother is never going to really like you, he's with you because it's convenient to him, he would ditch you for an undercover job in a heartbeat, I know him better that anyone and I can see that you two are never going to work"_ I think that's what happened" Sam could see the happy look on both, Sarah and Andy's face, which made him a little more annoyed

"But I was right, wasn't I?" Sarah was having a good time

"Ok Sarah, you were, but that doesn't give you the right to meddle in my life, I think I can handle my love life without you trying to fix it for me"

Andy was amused to see how they were arguing, they looked like kids "So, I should be pleased that you are being nice to me, right?"

"Yes, it means that I think Sam is in…" but before she could complete her sentence, Sam stopped her, he knew what she was going to say and he thought Andy wasn't prepared to hear it, he feared that she might run from him "Okay, that's enough, let's go home, do you need a ride Andy?"

On the back of her mind, Andy knew what Sarah was going to say, and she liked it, maybe Sam wasn't prepared to say it, but she knew that if Sam's sister was seeing it, then it was because it's true "No, I'm with Traci's car, but thanks"

"Oh, I have a better idea, why don't you stay with us tonight? It would be nice to have someone to talk to, Sam is too quiet, sometimes I feel like I am talking with a wall, please, stay, I…we insist"

Andy looked at Sam, who was with a neutral expression on his face, he shrugged and said it was her decision, that he would be ok with whatever she decided, so she agreed, she would stay for the night

* * *

><p>When they got home, it was late, Sarah opened a bottle of wine, and headed to the couch with two glasses, Sam wasn't drinking because of his medicine, they chatted for a long time, more like Sarah talked and Sam listened while Andy laughed about her stories, when it was almost 1:30, both girls were asleep on the floor, with an empty bottle of wine by their side. Sam, who was still awake, managed to carry Sarah to the spare bedroom and Andy to his bed, he would be sleeping on the couch, he shook Andy gently and she opened her eyes<p>

"Hey, if you need anything, I will be on the couch, and my sister is right in front of you, in the spare bedroom, but she is drunk too, so she's no use"

"Are you sure? I mean, your back is already messed up, I don't mind sleeping there" Andy managed to say

"Nah, I will be fine, and you know, I wake very early, and it's already two, so I won't be sleeping that much, don't worry" Sam said, while grabbing a pillow and a blanket "Do I have to wake you up to go to work tomorrow or should I let you sleep till late?"

"Tomorrow is my day off, otherwise, I wouldn't be drinking like I did, I am pretty sure that I am a little drunk, so please, just let me sleep, I don't have a good night's sleep since we argued, no no no, forget that, since I said horrible things to you, that's better, thank God you forgave me Sam, I mean, I know we are not 100% good yet, but we will be, right? I don't know what I would do if you had said that you didn't want to talk to me, Oh Gog, I talk way to much when I am drunk, I think it's time to go to bed" she giggled

Sam chuckled, it was rare to see Andy drunk, and she was a funny one, she didn't get depressive, she just kept talking and talking non stopping, which was almost her normal, he was used to it, how many times he sat at the driver's side on the squad car, listening to her talk about Luke and their perfect world, or about her night with Traci, there were times he wanted her to shut up, but most of the times, he liked it, because it gave him the chance to get to know her, to learn important things about her, but he would never admit that to Andy

"Hey, forget that, you apologized, I accepted, end of story, we will be okay, for now, you just sleep, we can talk more tomorrow, good night Andy" Sam said, and dropped a kiss on her forehead

* * *

><p>Andy woke up and looked at the clock, it was 9:3o, she was in a strange bedroom, it had a black wall, with white stripes on one of the walls, beside the bed, there was a nightstand, with a clock and a book, there was a door to a bathroom and another one to a closet, she remembered that this was Sam's bedroom, she slept there after drinking a lot of wine with his sister, and she had a great time, but now… now her head was killing her, she even thought about getting up to ask Sam for an aspirin, but her legs were heavy, so she just stayed there, massaging her temple, trying to soothe the pain. Looking around his room, she saw some pictures, there was a shelf with three picture frames, one of Sam holding his nephew like a sack of potatoes, with both laughing pretty hard, which was rare to see, another one with Sam, Jerry, Oliver and Frank playing poker, and the third was of an old lady with a little boy crying, they were in front of a beautiful, big house. Andy was planning to get up to take a better look at the pictures, but her stomach had other ideas for her, she put her hand over her mouth and like a lightning bolt ran to the bathroom, she emptied everything she had in her stomach, which wasn't much.<p>

Sam woke up at 5:00 to read a book, when he finished it, it was 6:00, he needed to wake Sarah because her bus to 's would leave at 7:00, after dropping her at the bus station, he went to the groceries store to buy something to make Andy's breakfast, after that, he went home, deciding it was too early and Andy would probably sleep at least one more hour, he went to the spare bedroom to clean the room, one hour later, he started to cook, he made chocolate pancakes, Andy's favorite, and he was about to call her when his phone rang, he picked it up and after talking to someone for at least fifteen minutes, he hung up, sat on the couch and tried to understand what the lady on the side of the line told him, there was a mix of sadness, disappointment, and hurt on his eyes, he didn't know what to do, he felt numb, but then he heard a strange noise, he recognized it, _the morning after the drinking_, with four large steps he was by her side, running his hands up and down her back

"Hey, do you need anything? Water, aspirin?" he asked, after Andy managed to stand up by herself, she looked so embarrassed that she couldn't even look at Sam's eyes, she just nodded

Sam bent his knee to look at her eyes, he knew she was feeling guilty or something like that "Hey, look at me Andy, it's fine, things like that happen, it happened to me before, so you don't need to be embarrassed, or guilty or anything like that, it's fine ok? Now, why don't you take your clothes off and take a shower? I'm going to sit right there, on my comfy bed to wait for you ok?" he squeezed her hand and kissed the tip of her nose, which earned him a sad smile

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, she got out of the bathroom, wearing only Sam's black t-shirt and panties that Sarah had forgot on Sam's laundry, she saw that Sam was staring blankly at the window and that got her worried, his face was so different, his eyes were sad, it was almost like he was in pain, so, carefully she sat by his side and placed a hand on top of his, she waited a moment to see if he was going to say anything, nut he didn't instead, he looked at her and offered a sad smile, she was starting to wonder if she did something, so she asked what was wrong "Hey, is something wrong? Do you need to talk?"<p>

He didn't want to talk, but he didn't want Andy to think that she did something wrong, and he knew that talking was what he needed, even though he wasn't a fan of it "Janet Danton called, the social worker, remember her? Well, looks like they found someone from Lev's family, a distant aunt, or something like that, so that means…you know what it means" he looked at her with a blank expression and shrugged, but before Andy could say something, he continued "And she told me that they were considering giving me his custody because a woman knocked on her door late at night and convinced her that I had what it takes to take care of someone, she said it was a McNally, and I guess this was your surprise for me right? So, thanks Andy, thanks for your effort, but now there is nothing we can do, but I really appreciate it" and like this was nothing, he got up from his bed and made his way to the kitchen, he needed to get away for a minute, he didn't want anyone to see his weakness, that's why he pretended everything was ok "I don't know if you are hungry, but I made you chocolate pancakes"

It pained Andy to see her friend, or whatever they were, hurt, she knew he was trying his best to pretend he was alright with what happened, but she also knew he wasn't fine, and when she went to the kitchen she saw him wiping furiously a tear away, something she never had seen before, so she walked to him, hugged him from behind and kissed his neck, she knew the best thing to do was to give him time and space, so she kept her mouth shut and ate in silence while Sam sat on a chair reading a book.


	10. maybe a date?

"So, how was your day off with Sam? Did you apologize? Is everything alright between you two?" Traci asked while waiting for Andy to finish changing clothes

For a few seconds, she thought about everything that had happened "Surprisingly, he forgave me, I thought it was going to be harder, but he was so sweet to me, and then I met his sister, who is very nice by the way, she is the complete opposite of Sam, we talked a lot, I slept there, but don't give me that look, nothing happened, I swear, Sam slept on the couch… unfortunately" she couldn't help but say what was on her mind, but before she could continue, her phone rang, it was Sam, she answered with a smile on her face

_Andy: Hey! How are you?_

_Sam: Hi, I'm good, what about you? Feeling better?_

_Andy: Oh, sure, one hundred percent, and your wound?_

_Sam: It's healing, can't wait to go back to work_

_Andy: Hmmm, miss me?_

_Sam: Me? Missing you? Do you know who are you talking with?_

_Andy: Shut up, I know you miss riding with me, I miss you too jerk_

_Sam: Good, good to know, but McNally, as much as I would love to stay here arguing with you, I hm… I actually called to see if you wanted to meet me at The Penny tonight_

_Andy: Uhhhgh, I'm sorry, I can't, I already told Traci I would stay with Leo tonight, I'm really sorry, rain check?_

_Sam: Oh, don't worry, it's fine, I just wanted to apologize for my bad mood yesterday, I know I wasn't a good company, and it was your day off, and you got stuck with a grumpy me instead of having fun_

_Andy: Sam, come on, it wasn't your fault, you've got nothing to be sorry for, I am the one that should be apologizing, you were having a bad time and instead of helping you, I got stuck on your bathroom, throwing up all morning while you held my hair, so I think we are even, how's that for you?_

_Sam: Yeah, I think yesterday wasn't a good day for us hun?_

_Andy: Oh, but hey, at least I had the chance to meet your sister, she is funny, I like her_

_Sam: Well, it's obvious that she likes you too, sometimes she is just too much, she drives me crazy, but I'm glad you two got along_

_Andy: I'm glad too. Sam, if I ask you something, do you promise to say the truth?_

_Sam: Hum…yes?_

_Andy: Okay, how are you? Really?_

_Sam: Hmm I'm…I don't know, still digesting everything I guess, it's hard, but I'll get through it, just like I did so many times in my life. So, was I honest enough?_

_Andy: Good to know, just remember I am here ok?_

_Sam: I know, thanks, I will let you go now, talk to you tomorrow McNally, bye_

_Andy: Ok, bye Sam, we'll talk later_

As Andy shut the phone, she felt a little relieved, she knew Sam was being honest, and she was glad to know he was strong enough to not break down, he must have got through a lot of adversities in his life, and now she was happy to know he trusted her enough to tell her when he was fine or not.

Andy finished what she was doing and headed to Traci's home, she helped her friend get ready for her date with Jeremy. After saying goodbye, Leo picked a movie to watch while Andy made popcorn. The kid fell asleep after one hour and Andy waited for Traci to come back, when she finally did, Andy gathered her stuff, called a cab and went home.

* * *

><p>At the next morning, Andy woke up with someone knocking at her door, she looked to her clock, it was 6:30 and she didn't have to wake up until 7:00, she thought about getting back to sleep, but decided against it since it could be something important. Slowly, she got out of bed, picked a sweatshirt, fixed her hair and stumbled to the door. She was surprised to say the least, it was Sam, but what was he doing there? Suddenly, she wasn't mad at the annoying person knocking on her door anymore. She was even happy, if that's possible at 6:30<p>

"Do you know it is 6:30 right?" She asked, while rubbing her eyes, trying to focus

If Sam was being honest with himself, he had never seen such an adorable thing, she looked so innocent, so pure, he smile at her sleepy face "I'm sorry, but I know your shift starts at 8:00, so I decided to bring you breakfast so we could talk, if that's ok with you, but if it's not, and you are too tired, I can go home"

Andy looked down at his hands, he was holding two brown bags, how could she say no to that? To him? That was perfect, so she opened the door and motioned for him to follow her "Okay, give me 30 minutes to get ready, you can watch TV if you want"

"Hmm, no TV, but thanks, I'll just wait here" he placed the bags on the kitchen counter and sat on the couch to wait for Andy

40 minutes later she was back, showered and feeling renewed, she went to the living room and Sam wasn't there, she looked at the kitchen and saw him setting the table, he didn't acknowledge her, so she took advantage and stared at his beautiful body, he was already starting to gain some weight, he finally cut his hair and was shaved, she could even smell his unique scent spreading all over her house. After a few moments, he turned around and saw her standing there, staring him "I'm sorry, I couldn't stay put for too long, so I searched for everything we need, like forks, plates, cups, things like that"

Oh God, he was being so sweet to her, it wasn't normal "Don't worry, so, what do we have here?"

"Oh, this is a true and healthy breakfast, orange juice, sliced bread with white cheese, lettuce and carrot, granola with yogurt, strawberry jam and fruit salad" as Sam was saying everything he brought, he saw the funny face Andy was doing, probably because she wanted something more…yummy "and, because I know you are not a fan of healthy food, I brought a muffin too, but I will only give it to you after you try everything that's on the table. Deal?"

She wasn't going to win, and she knew it, so she agreed "Ugh, I can't believe this, but ok, deal, now let's eat"

After some moment of comfortable silence, Andy spoke up "As much as I'm flattered to have you knocking at my door, I must ask you, what's going on? Something wrong?"

Sam hesitated, he wanted to ask her something, but he was shaking inside, what if she said no? He wouldn't be able to hide his disappointment "I…I hun…there's something I really wanted to ask, but I don't know if I should…"

"Sam, stop, stop, just ask me, whatever it is, I'm sure it's something harmless, so shoot" she demanded, grabbing another slice of bread with cheese and stuffing everything on her mouth _charming!_

He cleared his throat, trying to sound confident "Ok, so, as you already know, Christmas is in six days, and Oliver, Zoe and the girls are going to New York, Zoe's hometown, so I was wondering if you would like to spend the holyday with me, I could cook you dinner, or we could go somewhere else to eat, I don't know, but hey, if you have other plans, that's ok too, I'll just stay at home" he finished, shaking his hand to release some of the tension

Andy couldn't believe he was asking her out on a date, it would be their first real date, and she loved Christmas, spending it with him would only make things more magical, she was smiling like crazy, but her smile faded qickly as she remembered something "Damn it, I'm sorry, but I can't, not that I don't want to" she assured him, placing her hand on top of his and looking straight into his eyes "I will be working, Best knows I'm the only one who didn't have anything planned, so I told him I could stay on the night shift. But what about your sister? I don't want you spending Christmas alone Sam, it's sad"

"Well, she will stay with her husband's family, I think she though I wouldn't be back from my job on time, or she just thought I wouldn't be back at all, so she said to Brian that they could stay with his family, but don't worry, I'll be fine by myself. And your dad? Is he going to be alone too?" Sam asked, a little disappointed that they wouldn't be together, this was something he really wanted, it was like the universe wasn't helping him

"Oh, you know, he preferred to stay on rehab, he thinks there will be too many temptations, I understand him, that's why I'm not sad, actually, I'm happy for him, he is trying so hard, it's making me proud"

"You guys deserve it, after everything, you have the right to be happy. So, what did you think about the breakfast? Was it that bad?" he changed subjects, trying to lighten the mood and trying to forget that she had kind of declined his offer, but it wan't her fault and he knew it

Andy laughed and thought for a moment, trying to remember the taste of everything "Naaah, it was wonderful, I must say that we might have to do this again soon, I'm starting to feel spoiled by you" she half joked, half stated

"I think I can arrange that, but hey, are you sure you are willing to wake up a little early? I know you hate when you have to get out of bed before 7:00"

"Me? When we rode together, you were the one who was always moody by the mornings, but yes, I'm willing to do it"

"Moody? Me? I don't know what are you talking about, really, and besides, it has been what? Nine months since we last rode together? Things might have changed" he gave her a suspicoius look and raised his eyebrow

Thinking about it, they weren't paired together for nine months, she missed him, riding with him, they were a great team "You know, even though you are grumpy and moody, I miss my partner, when will you be back?"

"I don't know, I'm going to the doctor today, he is going to remove my stitches and then he will tell me when I can come back, hope it doesn't take too long, I can't wait to beride with you again"

"Ok, when you get out of his office you give me a call to tell me what he said" she gave him a pointed look, daring him to disobey her orders

He liked when she was bossy, it was funny and charming "Yes Officer. Now I think we should get going, I don't want you to be late again, so I'll give you a ride, ok?"

When they were together she didn't even see the time passing, it was wonderful how they could bond and talk about everything, it was a relief to have someone so nice by her side "Sure, just let me grab my bag"

Andy came from her room with her bag hanging by her shoulder, Sam quickly picked it up and opened the door for her, she smiled and followed him. After ten minutes driving, they got to the barn, before she could exit his truck he grabbed her hand and kissed the palm of it "thanks for everything Andy, talk to you later"

She felt the warmth of his hand and loved every sensation of it, there were butterflies on her stomach and she felt like a teenager, the kiss on the palm of her hand just urged her to do what she wanted since she saw him on her kitchen, she placed one hand on his neck and the other one caressed his jaw, she leaned in and softly touched his lips with hers, at first he was still still, but after one second she could feel him responding to her, his hand came to her waist and he pulled her even closer, he was having difficulty to breath, and she loved to know she was the one doing this to him. When they finally broke apart, Sam grinned at her, showing his dimples, Andy flushed and was about to apologize for kissing him when he pulled her to another breath taking kiss, that's all she needed, she wasn't sorry and apparently neither was he. After a moment, they stopped to breath.

"Ok, now I really don't want to go, but duty calls, and don't forget to call me"

He winked and gave her another peck on the lips"Wouldn't dream of it"


	11. birthday too

ANDY'S POV

Here is my problem, It's Christmas, one of my favorites holydays, I love Christmas, who doesn't? But I'm stuck here at the station, Best could have told me that I would be working the front desk with Officer Jhonnys, there is nothing I hate more than front desk, especially when I could be at Sam's, enjoying a nice, cozy, perfect dinner. That man was driving me crazy, since we kissed the other day, nothing big happened, he didn't ask me out again and he didn't show up for another breakfast, sure, he called me almost everyday at the end of my shift, but that wasn't enough for me, I wanted to be near him, I wanted to touch him, but clearly, he didn't. I don't know, sometimes I think Sam doesn't have strong feelings for me like everybody says, I mean, he came back three weeks ago and apart from the kisses I gave him, because that's the true, if it wasn't for me we wouldn't have kissed, he hasn't made his move yet, is he that slow? I really hope he speeds up, I'm starting to worry that this thing won't go anywhere.

What's this noise? Why won't it stop? Please make it stop! Oh right, it's the phone, I need to answer it, I'm at work dumbass. See, that's what happens when I'm thinking about Sam, I forget about everything around me. I hate that, no, actually, I love that. I need coffee.

* * *

><p>Sam did everything he needed, left the food in the oven, got dressed and headed out, thirty minutes later he parked his truck in front of the station, there was no way in hell they weren't going to spend this night together. "I will be right back" he said to a person sitting next to him. He walked to the front desk and didn't see her "Please, where is Officer McNally?" he asked to the man managing the phones, Officer Jhonnys recognized him and glared at the direction of the coffee machine, Sam followed his gaze and finally spotted Andy fixing a cup of coffee<p>

Seeing that Andy hadn't noticed him, even though he was inches of her, Sam crossed his arms and waited for her to turn around, when she did, her face was priceless, it was a mix of emotions, she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out, Sam chuckled "Merry Christmas Officer, now, let's go" he grabbed her hand to lead them outside the building

_Let's go? What was he saying? Let's go? What was happening? "_What? I…I don't understand…what? I mean, Merry Christmas, but what is happening exactly? I'm pretty sure I told you that I couldn't have dinner with you, I'm on shift, so that means… you know what it means" it was incredible how she kept talking over and over when she was lost, Sam grinned at her confusion and raised a finger to stop her

"I asked Frank if it was ok for me to come over and pick you up for a late dinner, he gave us two hours, it isn't much, but it's better than nothing, right? Now let's go, I left some things on the oven, and I have a surprise for you outside, so please, can we go?" he asked, turning his back to Andy and walking to the parking lot

"Surprise? What is it? I demand to know! " She tried her best to sound threatening and followed him outside.

Sam didn't answer her, which only increased her curiosity, but hey, she only had to wait a few seconds to find out what it was, so before they reached his truck he turned around, causing Andy to bump right into his solid chest, he reached out to steady her and felt a nice tingle when he grabbed both sides of her waist, they looked at each other for a long moment before Sam surprisingly broke the silence "I'm happy to spend the rest of this day with you, so, thanks, I hope you enjoy this night" before she could even reply, Sam gave her a sweet kiss, it was unexpected for her, but she didn't protest at all, instead, she wrapped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss. Sam was about to lose control when he pushed her away "I'm sorry, it's just that I think… I think it's a little weird to do this when your surprise is right inside my truck and can see us, I'm a little uncomfortable with that, but we could finish this later, definitely later" he hoped Andy didn't feel rejected, that was the last thing he wanted

At first she felt weird, why had Sam stopped? A million thoughts ran through her head, all of them ending with Sam dumping her at the end of the night, but when he explained what was happening, she calmed a little, her curious side on the other hand perked up, what was this surprise? She was clueless, so when he opened the door to his truck, her eyes widened and her smile reached her eyes, she wasn't expecting that at all, _and here I was, thinking that Sam was going to dump me, of course he isn't, he likes me, I know that now, he brought me my dad! Now I'll spend a nice night with the two most important men of my life, couldn't ask for more_

"Dad! I thought you were going to stay at rehab, I'm so glad to see you here" she said, hugging Tommy tightly

Tommy kissed her head and returned the hug "Well, Swarek invited me to come over, he said you would like to see me and I thought why not? I hope that's ok with you"

She looked over to Sam who was already driving them to his house and smiled at him "Of course it's ok, Sam was right, I'm so happy to see you, it would be our first Christmas apart and I was kind of a little sad because of it, but now…now I couldn't be happier. I love you dad, thanks for being here"

Sam's focus was on the road, but he couldn't help the smile that spread through his face when he heard Andy saying that she was truly happy, that was all he wanted, he just wanted to see her happy, _looks like everything's perfect, finally!_

They got to his place five minutes later, and because Andy only had two hours, Sam had left everything ready so they could eat as soon as they wanted to. They took their coats off and Tommy went to the bathroom

Glancing around his house, Andy didn't see any Christmas garnish, there wasn't a tree either, the only thing red and green was the table cloth, _guess Sam isn't into Christmas that much,_ she followed Sam into the kitchen and saw the beautiful table that was set for the three of them, she stood in front of him and hugged him "thank you so much, I'm glad you did this, as I said before, I couldn't be happier, and that's thanks to you Sam, you are amazing" she brushed her lips against his "so, what can I do to help you?" she changed subjects when Tommy came back from the bathroom

"Everything is ready, I just need to put the gammon on the table, so, please, sit down, and I hope you like my food"

"What? You cooked all of this? By yourself? Bullshit, tell us the truth Sam"

"Hey, are you doubting my skills? I'm a wonderful cook, at least, I think I am, but it's true, it was all me, I give you my word" he raised his hand in a mocking style

"Okay, what did you made for us?"

"Look, it isn't much, but I hope you and your dad like it, there is watercress salad with Damascus; lentils with mint; rice with raisins and nuts; gammon with pineapple sauce; turkey stuffed with pumpkin and for dessert, chocolate mousse"

"Are you kidding us? It's amazing Sam, everything looks delicious, can we eat now? Because I'm starving"

"Sure, sure, go ahead"

But before Andy could start eating, Tommy coughed and raised his glass "Kiddo, wait, first I want to say something, I promise it will be quick, first, I'm sorry for one day disappointing you, I know I was never the perfect dad, and I'm sorry for that, second, thank you for never give up on me, I'm only here because of you, if it wasn't for your strength, I would be lost, and last, thank you Swarek for inviting me, and for having my little girl's back, she could not be in better hands, thank you again" he finished his little speech with tears in his eyes and felt Andy's hands covering his and squeezing it "Now you can eat kiddo"

They spend the night chatting and sharing stories from previous Holydays, Andy laughed hard when she heard Tommy share a lot of her stories, like the one time she was helping him and she changed the salt for the sugar accidentally, of course the food could not be worse and they had to throw everything away, and for her surprise, Sam told some of his experiences, there was the day he tried to impress Marie by cooking a nice dinner for their Christmas party but ended up burning down the kitchen, or how his first Christmas present was a silver truck and that's when he had started to love truck and cars and last of all, the night he spent at the hospital

"That's sad Sam, what happened?"

"Well, I was a troubled child, so I guess I was eight at the time, and I couldn't stay quiet for too long, and it was raining, so I couldn't play outside, and Marie really hated when I kept running around the house, so she told me to help her put the cups on the table, I was carrying four cups and my shoelace was untied, I tripped and fell, there was glass all over the floor and when I looked up Marie was freaking out, I realized that I had a cut right above my eyebrow, I was bleeding so much, it was scaring, twenty stitches later I was ready to go home, but the doctor said no, so I had to stay the night, after that, she bought me a Velcro shoes"

"No way, I can't imagine a troubled Sam, that's funny"

"Yeah, well, it wasn't funny at the time"

* * *

><p>Two hours passed by quickly and it was time to drop Andy at the station again, Tommy insisted that he could take a bus to go to rehab and said goodbye to both of them<p>

"So, where are you going back to your place now?" Andy asked when Sam parked in front of the precinct

"No, I…hum, it's just that I have something to do" he scratched the back of his neck "it's past midnight, so usually I go to the cemetery, to visit my mom's gravestone, it's her death anniversary, so it's the least I can do" he finished, looking out at the window

"Wait, wait, wait, so, you mean, it's your birthday? You are a Christmas miracle?" she didn't know that, Sam always avoided this topic, he always felt uncomfortable talking about his birthday

"More like a Christmas disaster, but yeah, it's my birthday"

"I didn't even had the chance to bought you a present, that's not fair"

"See, then you say you like me, go figure, at least Monica sent me a card, because that's what you are supposed to do when your friend or whatever is celebrating his birthday" Sam provoked Andy, just because he loved to see her jealous face, it was so cute and she was already blushing

"Really? Monica hun? Oh, I guess you are going to have to finish that thing we started earlier with Monica, because you are pissing me" she gave him a pointed look and raised one eyebrow, daring him to talk about that woman again

Sam reached over, and pushed her flush against him, lowering his voice he whispered in her ear "you are perfect when you are jealous" when he released her, he grinned an leaned inn to give her a passionate kiss, trying to show that there was no Monica in his thoughts, after that, things got carried away pretty quickly. There were hands touching everywhere and they were so caught up in the moment that neither one of them saw Sergeant Best approaching his truck and just like two teenagers in high school, they were caught making out in the parking lot

"Swarek, McNally, time is up. Now McNally, work!" he barked, in the most demanding tone they had ever heard

_Shit! _"No, why me God? See you later?"

"Definitely"


	12. dinner

"Wow" Sam said, panting heavily

"Yeah, I know, I'm amazing" Andy teased while running her hand up and down Sam's chest

"Pftt, so full of yourself, I would say that it was ok" he chuckled and feigned pain when she slapped him on the chest

"Ok? Come on, it was waaay more than ok Sam, I mean, the things we were doing…pfffftt, if that was ok, imagine what amazing is"

"No, no, I'm kidding, it was…hmmm…I don't think there are words to describe it actually" he leaned in and kissed her passionately

She smiled "That's what I thought. So, how is your birthday going so far?"

"Let me see, first I had lunch with this amazing girl, later we went to the zoo because apparently she had never been to one, which is strange, and then we got back to my place to finish what we started on my truck…yeah, I think it's going good so far"

"I'm glad you are enjoying it" suddenly, out of nowhere she decided it was time to get serious, it was something that was nagging her for a long time "Sam?" she sat up straight

Sam, who had his eyes closed felt the tension on her body and opened his eyes to see what was bugging her "Something wrong?"

Fidgeting with the hem of the sheets she hesitated a bit but eventually asked what she really wanted "What is going on between us, Sam? I mean, I like it, there is no doubt about it, but sometimes I just…I don't know I get confused, you know what I mean?"

Sam sighed, scratched his neck and took Andy's hand, trying to calm her down, he smiled reassuringly "Look, I like you, a lot, it's not a secret, and I like us together, I like this, and I'm not referring to sex, I like to spend the day with you, go to the zoo with you, to… I don't know, hold your hand while we walk on the street, it may sound cheesy but I'm waiting for this chance for a long time, and if it's up to me, it's going to last and I will try my hardest to make it worth, to make you smile, but what about you, I mean, what to do want?"

That was not what she was expecting at all, it surprised her to hear that Sam was serious about them, it was everything she needed to hear, she was ready for that "Me? I want to be able kiss you whenever I want to, I want to spend my days off laying in bed curled next to you, I want us going trough difficulties together, I want you to know everything about you, I want you to know all my flaws, that's what I want"

"Ok, it's settle then, we are dating, anything more you want to ask?"

"There is one more thing, you said you were waiting for this for a long time, how long?"

"I'm not answering to that"

"Come on, please please please" Andy pouted, knowing that that would get him to answer her question

_Oh no, not the pout, it's unfair, she knows that, damn it woman! "_Ok, ok, almost three years McNally, I think since the black out, but you were busy back there, and after Callaghan, I wanted to give you time and space, and then I went undercover for what? Nine months, so yeah…I think three years"

"What? Three years? That's not possible, you have been single for three years? But you are so…I don't know, every woman's type, how's that possible?" Andy was impressed, that man was waiting for her, for three years? How was that possible?

He quirked an eyebrow at her compliment "Every woman's type hun? Well, what can I say? I just wasn't interested in anyone else besides you, but I can't say there weren't opportunities to meet new ladies"

"I feel honored and stupid at the same time, I was so blind, but who was that lady hun?"

"Oh no, you won't like it and I don't want you grumpy for the rest of the night, I'm not giving you a name, not a chance" he shook his head

Now she was really curious, deciding that the pouting wasn't going to work, she straddled his lap and held his hands above his head, she kissed him and deepened the kiss, moving to his ear she whispered "Tell me, now"

There was no way he could resist to that, she could get anything she wanted out of him, she had too much power over him "Dunn"

"Dunn? Who the hell is Dunn, Sam? You are lying, aren't you?" she narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher what he was saying, and then, she remembered, and she wasn't happy at all "That woman needs to back off, for real, I think I need to visit her, and I'm not kidding, who does she think she is? She had her shot, now it's my turn, and you, Swarek, I hope you are not saying this just to see me angry, you hear me?"

"No, I'm not, I swear. Now, please, can we forget Monica and I don't know…eat something? I'm starving"

"Okay, do you want to order something? You can pick this time"

"Nahhh, I was thinking that maybe I could take you out as my…hunn…girlfriend for the first time, nothing fancy McNally, just a Japanese restaurant nearby. What do you think?"

She loved the sound of what he said, girlfriend, this was going way batter than she thought it could be "I would love that, but we have to stop by my house because I want to change clothes, there is no way I'm going out with you wearing these, I want to look pretty"

"Andy, you are gorgeous, but if you insist, we can stop by, do you want to go now?"

Andy shifted on top of Sam's lap and kissed him, her hands were traveling south when Sam grabbed her wrist "If we start this now, there is no way we are going to have dinner tonight, so I suggest you stop and maybe, maybe, we can finish this later, ok?" he gave her a mischievous grin

She huffed, knowing that he was probably right and got off of him "Urghhh, alright, but I have an idea, I know you still have to shower, and I have too, so why don't you pack a bag with your clothes and we go to my place and take a shower there, together, what do you say?"

"McNally…" Sam warned with a deep, husky voice, he knew her too well to know that a shower together was way more than just a shower

She laughed and raised her hands innocently "No funny business, I promise"

"You know I don't believe in you, right? But ok, I will pack a bag, just one moment"

Sam went to his top drawer, picked a nice shirt and a new pair of jeans. After waiting for Andy to find her clothes that were scattered throughout the house, they made their way to her apartment, and as predicted, their shower took longer than what was meant to take, Andy put on a nice, sexy, short, strapless, white dress, while Sam decided to go with his usual black shirt.

* * *

><p>The restaurant was a nice and cozy place, it was very relaxing and a little romantic too. They sat on a table and after a while, a waitress took their order, Andy was a little skeptical about eating raw fish but Sam convinced her that it was tasty, not gross. While they waited for the food to arrive, they enjoyed each other's company<p>

"So, when will you be back to work?"

"I talked to Frank, he said I can come back on January 5th, why, miss me?"

"Shut up, you always say this, and I told you that, yes, I miss you, but that's not the point, I want to know how is it going to be? I mean, is it going to be weird? We are together now…so, I don't know"

"Weird? Of course not, why would it be? We just have to be professional, everything is going to be alright, stop being pessimistic ok?"

"I guess you are right, I'm just over thinking, as usual, but it's just because I want this to be perfect"

"Perfect? I'm sorry to break it to you, but perfect doesn't exist Andy, that works on movies, not in real life, you know that, I know that, I mean, look at us, we are extremely stubborn, we fight every day, and we are very jealous, so what I'm trying to say is that I'm sure there will be lots of disagreements and sometimes it will be hard, but we will work together to make things right. And I promise I will always try everything to see you smiling. I know it won't be easy, since you are too grouch, but, what can I say? I'm stuck with you"

"Ohhhhhhh, you are the one that's always whining about everything Sam, the coffee is too hot, now it's too cold, too much sugar, bla bla bla, you are worst than my grandma, but, I get it, I know it will be challenging, but that's good, at least it won't be monotonous"

"Not a chance, you'll see, I'm going to show you new things, I'm going to make you try new things, that's what makes a relationship move forwards"

"I can't wait" Andy smiled and leaned across the table to give him a kiss


	13. gala

"Andy, no, how many times do I have to say it? NO" Sam said, sounding annoyed

Andy took a bite of her burger "Come onnnn Sam, please?"

"No" he shook his head

Oh no, she wasn't going to give up that easily "Why not? Give me one good reason"

Tapping his finger against his chin, he pretended to think "Hm, let's see, because it's stupid? Because I don't want to? There, I gave you two reasons, good reasons"

"Good? They were terrible. Oh Sam, I wanted to do this so bad, can't you do this for me?"

"Andy…I…"

She could sense him almost giving in "It will be fun, Jerry, Oliver and Best are going to be there too, think of this like poker night"

"Except there won't be a poker game" he grunted

"Ok, so think about the open bar, you can drink for free"

"I'm hardly drinking anymore Andy"

"You will be able to see me wearing a dress, and later, taking it off"

"I've seen you in a fancy dress before, you were amazing by the way"

"Thank you"

"Actually, you look amazing wearing anything, dress, pants, pj's, nothing…" she did, he loved everything she wore

"Stop, I know you are trying to get away by complimenting me, it won't work"

"Oh crap, you know me too well"

"Yeah, so, do it for me, I'm asking you, I'm pulling out the girlfriend card"

"Pulling out the big guns, hun? No, now stop it"

"AArrghhh, you are annoying sometimes"

"I know, sorry" he said, not feeling sorry at all

"Please Sam, I told everybody we would be there, are you going to disappoint our friends?"

"They will understand, I have credit with all of them, trust me"

"I just want to understand why you don't want to go, it will be fun" Andy eyed him for a minute "Is it because you don't have a suit?"

He actually laughed of that, there was nothing to do with an outfit "What? Of course not, and I do have a suit by the way"

Hun, that was something she didn't know, Sam wearing a suit seemed like something almost impossible "You do? I've never seen you wearing it, actually, I've never seen you wearing anything besides your dark shirts"

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm not into fashion"

"Ok, if it's not the suit, is it because you think it's going to be boring?"

"I do think that, but that's not the main reason tough"

She sighed, feeling defeated, there was no way she would convince him to go "Ok, let's make a deal, I'll stop bugging you if you tell me the real reason why you don't want to go. What do you say? Deal?"

Sam shook her extended hand "Deal, ok…do you remember Superintendent Peck called me on her office yesterday? So, I was informed that they would give me a honor medal for my last undercover op, or something like that, and that they will be doing it at the gala dinner, which means I would have to go up on that stage, give a speech, smile to everybody and take hundreds of pictures, and you know how much I hate things like that Andy"

"I didn't know that, the part of the medal I mean, congratulations Sam, you deserve it"

"Yeah, well, I don't really care, I just did my job, a medal won't change anything"

She was aware how much Sam hated attention, so it was kind of understandable, but still… stupid "Ok, I got it why you don't want to go, but what about Elaine? She will be pissed"

"I told her I had something to do, she wasn't happy, but she accepted"

"You lied?"

"No, it's not a lie, I was planning to take you out, so, you in?"

Andy thought for a moment about what she wanted to do "You know what? I'm not going out with you, I will stay at home, alone"

Sam was caught off guard with her rejection, ok, he knew she was upset with him, but that much? "What? Why? Is this a punishment? Not fair McNally"

"Yes, yes it is, I was dying to go, I had all planned with Traci, we even bought a new dress, and because of you, I will have to stay at home while everybody is having fun"

Sam hated so much when things like that happened, it was such a stupid argument and he was always trying to avoid all kinds of confrontation with Andy "So, if you want to go…go, I won't stop you, I'm not your owner"

"Yeah, but I wanted to go with you, and if I go alone, I know I won't have fun, it won't be the same, so, happy now? You won Sam" Andy got off the table and went to the bathroom, she needed a moment to cool her head before going back to the barn

As soon as Andy got off the table, Sam knew she was mad at him, and knowing her like he did, he knew it was better if he gave her some time alone, so he didn't bother to go after her, instead, he paid for their burgers and waited for her outside.

Andy splashed water on her face and tried to convince herself that there was no reason to be mad at Sam, it wasn't like he never did something she wanted, actually, he was always doing stuff he hated just because Andy loved, like when they went fishing two weeks ago, but despite everything she said to herself, Andy was still annoyed

Sam was leaning against the wall, hands shoved on his pockets, when Andy exited the place, the look he received from her wasn't a happy one at all, so they made their way back to the precinct in an unusual and uncomfortable silence, luckily, they weren't partnered together that day, Sam was riding solo and Andy was with Gail

* * *

><p>A few hours later, shift was over, they hadn't seen each other since their lunch break, and Sam was waiting for Andy to get out of the Lady's locker room and couldn't help but hear what she and Traci were talking<p>

Andy finished booking a guy and looked at the clock, _time to go home_, so she went to the locker room to change clothes, she knew that probably Sam would be outside waiting for her even though they hadn't talked since their argument

"So, all set for tomorrow night?" Traci asked excitedly

"Yeah, about that, I'm not going, sorry Trac" Andy stated sadly

"What? But why? You were so excited when we talked yesterday, did something happened?" she asked, concerned

Andy shrugged, feeling very tired "I was, but I talked to Sam today and he is not going, so…"

"Did he say you couldn't go? Because if he did, he is an idiot"

"No, no, he didn't, he said I could go If I wanted to, but I don't want to go if he is not there, I mean, it won't be the same"

"Come on Andy, it won't be that bad, all of your friends are going to be there, I think you should go"

"I know, I know, but I'm not in the mood anymore, Sam kind of spoiled everything for me, so I'll just stay at home, but hey, have fun for me ok?" Andy got up and grabbed her bag from the floor, making her way to the door

"Ok, if you change your mind, call me"

"Will do, bye Trac, see you in two days"

As expected, Sam was waiting for her, see, that's what she liked about him, even though she was mad at him, he still waited for her, and Andy knew that if it was anybody else, they would have gone home a long time ago

"Do you want me to take you home?" Sam offered her

"Yes, please"

Sam looked at Andy's eyes and thought for a moment, he didn't want to leave things as they were "Listen Andy, I'm sorry for today, I know I was stubborn, and I'm really sorry if I hurt you, as a couple, we should have discussed it together, so, I'm sorry again"

It wasn't very common to hear him apologizing, basically because he never did anything wrong, but when he apologized, it was from the bottom of his heart "It's ok, I wasn't even that excited to go anyway, it's fine, really" she tried her best to smile, it didn't work though

Ok, Sam knew she was lying, he heard her talking to Tracy, but he let it slide "Alright, now we can go" he pulled her to a quick kiss and took her bag from her shoulder

* * *

><p>It was almost six o'clock and Sam was pacing around his room, his day off was being very uneventful, and he was bored to death, there was the fact that Andy hadn't accepted to go meet him later too, so after reasoning with himself for a moment, he went to his closet, picked everything he needed for what he was about to do and headed to his truck.<p>

Andy woke up near lunch time, but she wasn't feeling refreshed like she normally felt, probably because she was upset, but there was a lot of things she needed to do on her day off, her house was begging for a cleanup, her fridge was empty and there were bills she needed to pay, so she put comfortable clothes, and started her work, it was half past six when she finished everything, the last thing to do was to take the trash out, and then she could take a bath and relax.

When Andy was about to go upstairs, her doorbell rang, she opened it and was surprised to see Sam standing there

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought I've said that we weren't going out" she asked feeling a bit confused

Sam cleared his throat "The thing is, I know you were extremely happy about the dinner, I heard you and Nash talking, and I felt bad for what I did, so I'm here to redeem myself and take you to that thing, so…what do you say?"

Andy wasn't expecting that at all, and she was kind of touched by what Sam was doing for her, she smiled, for real this time and pulled him for a passionate kiss "Sometimes you amaze me Sam, I'm a lucky girl"

That was everything he wanted to see, her breath taking smile "Yeah, what can I say? I'm awesome" they laughed "Kidding, so, we good?"

"Good? We are better than good" she looked at him for a minute, faded jeans and blue t shirt "But wait, what about your suit?"

"Inside the truck, but I need to take a shower though, can I use your bathroom?"

"I have a better idea, come" Andy raised her eyebrows suggestively and pulled Sam from the hem of his shirt

He barely had time to think, when he saw, they were making out inside her bathroom and their clothes were all over the floor

"This way we are never going to make it on time McNally" he whispered

She didn't care "Want to stop?"

That was the last thing he wanted "Not at all"

"Good, now shut up Sam, too much talking" she claimed his lips again

"No more talking, I promise"


	14. move

"So, please, we can't be late today, ok?" Sam warned her, before heading to the locker room to put on his uniform

Andy stopped and turned to him "What are you talking about?"

"You joking, right? I told you about it yesterday, how can you not remember?"

She tried so much to remember, but her mind was blank "Yesterday? I don't remember you saying anything important"

"Andy, we were in bed, and I told you we had an appointment at 7:30, you said "huhum" and then jumped on me for another round, how can you not remember?"

She gave him a smile that reached her eyes "Ohhh, I remember that part, but not the appointment thing though, but what did you expect? I mean, after what we did, my mind was miles away, there's no way I would understand what you were saying, sorry"

Sam cocked an eyebrow "Really? Am I that awesome?"

Andy playfully rolled her eyes "Pftt, you wish, but hey, what are we doing today that is so important that I can't be late?"

"We are supposed to meet Vanessa, 7:30, she said she has something good for us"

When Andy was about to answer, she saw Traci and remembered something "Oh God, last night I told Traci we would have our girl's night today"

"Tell her you will be late, we won't take long, and I can drop you off on my way home, does that sound good to you?" Sam suggested

"That sounds perfect, I can't wait to see what that Vanessa found for us, I don't like her, by the way"

"Of course you don't, she was nice to me, and we all know that every woman that is nice to me is your arch enemy" He teased her, even though it was true

Andy narrowed her eyes and scowled "Not true, Traci, Zoe and Noelle are more than nice to you and I'm not jealous of them"

Sam chuckled and feigned regret "Ohh, I was being so unfair to you, I'm sorry" he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss

"Watch the tone mister"

After a quiet moment, Sam had to ask something that was nagging him "You sure you are ready to do this McNally? It's a huge step and I don't want you to feel pressured"

Andy took his hands on hers and squeezed them "I'm ready Sam, this is what I want, I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't feeling comfortable with my decision, believe me"

"Okay" he nodded as memories of that day flooded his head

* * *

><p><em>Sam and Andy were walking through a park after going to the movies, it had been one year since they were together and things were doing great, there were a lot o fights, mostly because of Sam's overprotective side and Andy's jealousy, but they managed to overcome every one of them. <em>

_After walking for about thirty minutes, they found a bench so they could sit and talk_

"_Look, an ice cream truck, I think I want one, wait here while I get it, ok?" Andy kissed him, got up and headed to where the truck was parked _

_She came back to find Sam missing, it wasn't common for him to disappear like that, so she glanced around trying to find him, she was almost giving up when she spotted him kneeled down, next to a tree, talking to a crying little girl, after a moment, the girl stopped with the tears and gave him a shining smile, he pointed in the direction of an old lady and she ran towards her, the lady picked the little girl up and approached Sam, they shook hands and each went to a different direction. _

"_What was that Sam? You know them?" Andy asked, when he reached her_

"_No, I heard that little girl crying and went to help her, I explained that I was a cop and she told me she was lost, it was when I saw her grandmother, so I told the girl she wasn't lost anymore, her smile when she saw her nana was priceless"_

"_That was nice of you, one moment the girl was crying and five seconds later she is giggling"_

"_Well, you know, it's part of my charm, I know how to handle kids" he teased_

_And as much as she knew that Sam was just teasing, there was something that she really wanted to know, something important "Sam, do you ever think about kids? Starting your own family?"_

_Sam was shocked, that wasn't what he was expecting to hear, not from someone like Andy, who was afraid of big commitments "Hmmm, yes, I do, I mean, I am happy where I am now, but a kid would make me feel complete, you?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to scare her _

_She pondered for a moment "For a long time, I was afraid I would be a horrible mother, because of my mom, but now, I'm not that scared anymore, and sometimes I catch myself thinking about kids, our kids, is that weird for you?"_

_Sam smiled to her "No at all, it crosses my mind too, a little Bambi running around"_

_It was a good surprise to hear that "Really? I didn't know that"_

"_Well, I never said anything to you because I thought you were going to freak out, maybe think that I'm rushing things, I don't know"_

"_I tend to do that a lot, don't I?"_

"_You mean freak out over nothing? Sometimes, but that's ok, nobody is perfect"_

"_You can be pretty nice sometimes, you know that?" Andy complimented, kissing him_

"_Yeah, I know. So, you ready to go home?" he stood up and pulled her by the arm_

"_Mine or yours?"_

"_Does it matter? I mean, my clothes are all over your closet and vice versa"_

"_You know what, you are right, it doesn't matter"_

"_I'm always right, haven't you figured out that by now?" Sam flashed her his dimples_

_They walked for a moment in silence, and out of nowhere, Andy stopped, like something had dawned on her_

"_I think we should move in together" she blurted out, smiling weakly_

_Sam stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Andy's face, surprised "I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say we should move in together"_

"_That's exactly what I said, but if you don't want to, that's ok too, if you think it's too early, I will understand, nothing has to change, I totally get it and respect what you want, maybe we could bu…" Andy was rambling nervously when Sam crashed his lips on hers, after a long time, he pulled back_

"_Stop, stop, calm down Andy, don't need to get nervous, I think this is actually great, but you know, it's big, are you sure you want to do this?"_

"_Yes, I am, I want to do this, we just confessed we want to have kids someday, and I think this is a good start, besides, you make me happy, and I'm sure you are the one for me, so I'm not even scared Sam "_

"_You know what? I love you, Andy, I do, I know I never said it to you, but you are everything I need, and I'm glad to know you are ready for this"_

* * *

><p>"Okay, I promise I will be ready at 7:00, now, we really need to go change, or we will be late for parade again"<p>

"See you later McNally" he waved at her as he entered the men's locker room


	15. girls night

"So, what do you guys think?" Vanessa asked, showing them the last room

Andy glanced around, smiling from ear to ear "I liked it a lot, it's cozy, warm, not too big. Sam?" Andy asked, wanting to know his opinion

Sam wasn't paying much attention to the women talking, his mind was somewhere else, it was Andy's voice that brought him back to the real world "Oh, yes, I agree" even though he didn't have a clue to what he was agreeing to "Vanessa, can you give us a moment please?"

The woman eyed him from head to toe and smiled seductively "Sure, I will be outside making some calls, take the time you need" she said, walking out of the house

Andy rolled her eyes at the woman "Ugh, she is so cheap. So, I know you weren't listening to me before, but what do you really think about the house?"

Sam pulled Andy closer to him and wrapped his arms around her waist "I think it needs a lot of work, some rooms are kind of trashed, but the neighborhood is nice, it's not far from work, the basement is huge, so we can host poker night often" he kidded "And more important, there is room for our five future kids"

Andy's eyes widened "Five? No way Sam, I'm not a bunny, you know?"

At the same time Sam started to laugh "I was kidding, we can make it four if you want, but that's it, nothing less than four" he deadpanned

Andy swatted his arm playfully "Jerk, so, what do we do now?"

A grin appeared on his face and he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively "I can think of some things we can do" San leaned in and brushed his lips against hers

"Sam, I'm serious, cut the funny crap"

"And who said I'm not serious?"

Andy just huffed and looked pointedly at him

Sam knew better than anyone what that look meant, it was time to be serious for a moment, so he raised both hands "Ok, ok, got it. Let's see, you like the house, I like the house, we are happy with it, so let's put an offer, simple as that McNally"

Sometimes Andy wondered how Sam could make things sound so simple, like now "Yeah, you are right, let's go find Vanessa and tell her what we decided"

As Andy was leaving the room, she saw that Sam wasn't coming after her, she stopped at the door and looked at him, raising her brow as if asking what was going on

He huffed "Are you seriously saying that we won't christen any room of this house? Like, seriously? I'm…I'm…disappointed"

Andy had to laugh, was he really thinking that _that_ was going to happen today? "Sam, Vanessa is right outside, besides, I have to go, girls are waiting for me, remember?"

"First, Vanessa is busy, and second, I'm sure they can wait, I know you want to do it, I can see it in your face McNally"

Yes, he was right, she wanted it, but now was not the time "I didn't say I didn't want it, but it's not going to happen, so if I were you I would fasten your pace, and follow me"

"Killjoy" he said to her retreating figure

"I heard that mister, behave" Andy shouted from outside

They talked to Vanessa and agreed to meet again as soon as she got an answer for them, it wouldn't take too long, she said, so they shook hands and went to parted ways.

Half an hour later, Sam parked in front of Traci's house "Have fun tonight, alright?"

Andy kissed him "Ok, I'll see you tomorrow at work, bye bye "

Just before Andy could open the door, he held her wrist "Oh, and Andy? Try not to miss me too much ok?"

"Pftttt, the same goes to you, I know you act all tough, but deep inside, you are nothing but a softie"

"Shut up, just go" he kissed her passionately one last time before releasing her hand

The truth was that Sam was going to miss her, yes, it was only one night, but for a whole year they settled into a comfortable routine, some drinks at the Penny with their friends after shift, then they would go to his or her house, talk about their day, about important things, have the most incredible sex and sleep soundly and safely tangled in each other arms until the alarm went off. So, yeah, that was what he was used to, but today there would be no McNally to sleep with.

Sam watched Andy get inside Traci's house and drove off, he knew Oliver would be at the bar, so that's where he headed

"Look who decided to show up" Traci greeted Andy

"Yeah, I was doing something with Sam, I'm sorry I'm late" she apologized

Noelle and Gail looked at each other and laughed "Ohhh, we understand, was Sam insatiable?" Gail asked boldly

Andy looked at the table in front of her and saw an almost empty bottle of vodka, _that's where the boldness comes from _"No, there wasn't sex involved, I guarantee it to you, although he really tried"

Andy hadn't told them about moving in together with Sam, and though that maybe now was a good opportunity to do it "We are moving in together, so we went to see a house"

Traci, who was coming from the kitchen with a new bottle of vodka and a cup for Andy stopped short when she heard Andy's news "No way, you? Who was always afraid of commitment? Shut up" she squirmed excitedly

Gail and Noelle were speechless, nobody expected that from Andy, since it was common acknowledge that she was taking things slow with Sam

Andy took the cup from Traci's hand and poured a shot to everybody, they raised their glasses and Noelle spoke before drinking the liquid "To Andy and a new chapter of her life"

The girls were having a great time, nobody really caring that they had to work next morning, they sang, danced, drunk, talked about boys, sex, girls, and laughed a lot telling old stories about themselves

"My turn" Gail shouted, and after thinking for a moment she asked "Andy, where was the weirdest place that you ever had sex"

"Hmmm, I have to say the time me and Sam got trapped inside an elevator after we talked to a suspect, there was a power failure and Sam looked so hot that day, I couldn't control myself" She laughed, remembering that day

"My turn now, who's a better kisser, Dov or Chris?"

Gail almost choked up on her drink, she wasn't expecting that at all, she only kissed Dov one time, and it was so long ago, but she didn't hesitate before answering "Chris, 100% Chris, he has that cute, soft lips, yeah, Chris"

"Okay" Traci interrupted "I think it's time to call it a night, we need to work tomorrow and I'm positive that this game won't end up anytime soon"

"Ohhhhh, no" the other three woman said

"I didn't even had the opportunity to ask Noelle about her fantasies with Frank, that is not fair Traci" Gail said, laughing about nothing in particular

When Noelle heard her name and Gail's question, she knew Traci was right, they had to call it a night, because that was a question she would never answer "I totally agree with Nash here, It's time to sleep"

"Wait, wait, you two are such a chicken, I can't believe that" Andy said, faking indignity "What do you say about we continue with our little game Gail? You, me, we can ask whatever we want, hun?"

When Gail said nothing, everybody looked at the chair she was sitting before, and she was sound asleep

"How is that possible? We were talking one minute ago"

Traci, the soberest laughed "Yeah, well, I think you lost Andy, since you can't play alone, you will have to go to bed too"

"I don't want to, Sam is not there, it won't be fun" she looked like a kid who didn't want to brush his teeth

"I know, but you will see him tomorrow, so, please, can we go to bed now?" Traci pleaded

Andy got up and huffed "Fine mom"

Noelle was already sound asleep on the couch when they got ready to sleep

"Night Andy" Traci called, turning off the lamp

"Night Trac"

_Sam: Hello?_

_Andy: Sam?_

_Sam: Andy? What's wrong?_

_Andy: nothing's wrong, no…everything is wrong_

_Sam: Andy, it's 4 a.m., we have to wake up in less than three hours_

_Andy: I know, I know…but I wanted to talk to you_

_Sam: Yeah? I'm flattered, but why don't you go back to sleep?_

_Andy: I can't, you are not here, why are you not here Sam?_

_Sam: Because you are with Nash, where is she, by the way?_

_Andy: She is here, snoring by my side_

_Sam: And why don't you do the same?_

_Andy: Because I don't snore while I sleep_

_Sam: No, not about that Andy, I meant sleeping, why don't you sleep?_

_Andy: You confuse me sometimes, you know? But I like you_

_Sam: Oh God, this is going to take longer than I thought_

_Andy: What is? Are you doing something?_

_Sam: No, I was talking about this talk Andy_

_Andy: Ohhhh, what about it?_

_Sam: Nothing, forget about it, so, what do you want?_

_Andy: I want to talk_

_Sam: No kidding, about what Andy?_

_Andy: Ohh, you know what Gail asked me?_

_Sam: Oh oh, I'm not going to like it, am I?_

_Andy: The weirdest place I had sex at_

_Sam: And I'm sure you didn't answer, am I right?_

_Andy: Why wouldn't I? She asked, I couldn't lie_

_Sam: And what did you tell her?_

_Andy: Duh, the elevator day_

_Sam: Oh no, you didn't_

_Andy: I did, why? Was it a secret?_

_Sam: I'm sure you will regret it in the morning_

_Andy: Hmmm, we will see_

_Sam: Yeah, we will see, so, aren't you tired at all?_

_Andy: Very, I just can't sleep_

_Sam: So, do as I say, ok?_

_Andy: Okay_

_Sam: Close your eyes and think about our new house, how you want the rooms, stuff like that, you will be sleeping in one second. Are you doing it?_

_Andy: Are you already on your way to come get me?_

_Sam: Are you serious?_

_Andy: Yes_

_Sam: Andy…_

_Andy: Sam, I need to sleep by your side, I like your arm as my pillow_

_Sam: I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm going, see you in eight minutes_

_Andy: Thank you thank you thank you_

_Sam: The things I do for you McNally, next time, call me sooner, ok?_

_Andy: Ok, I will_

_Sam: I have to hang up now, can't drive and talk, see you in five _


	16. surprise

"Ok, this blindfolded thing is starting to annoy me, can you hurry up, please?" An impatient, blindfolded Andy demanded

"Shhhh, stop acting like a kid McNally, it's a surprise, five more seconds please, Mrs. Patience" Sam said, looking for the keys of the house in his pocket. After several tries, he finally unlocked the front door "Ok, now you can take the blind off"

Andy felt relieved, first because she wanted so much to see what Sam had done during the seven days he wasn't on shift and second, because she hated having something covering her eyes, so when she pulled the cloth off of her face, she couldn't believe what was in front of her, it was so beautiful

"I hope everything is like you imagined it would be, and if there is something you don't like, you can tell me and we can change it" Sam said from behind her, a little apprehensive with her reaction

She turned around - dazzling smile in place - and reached Sam's hand "It's amazing, a lot different from the last time I saw it, much better, thank you, you were incredible, really"

"See, I told you I was good with tools" he teased "Come on, let me show you the rest of the house" he said, guiding her towards a renewed bedroom

As she walked throughout the house, she recognized some stuff from her old place - which was comforting - stuff from Sam's place and new furniture they had bought together, she could tell it was their house, not hers, not his, but theirs, just what she wanted "You did everything by yourself Sam? In one week? It's kinda impressive, even for you"

"I have to confess that Zoe Shaw helped me a little, I didn't know where to put some stuff, and I'm not a girl, so I don't know exactly what you need, so she helped me, but that was it, I swear"

"Awnn, you know, even though you don't open the car door for me, you rarely buy me flowers, and you hate holding hands, you can be very sweet when you want to" Andy said, hugging Sam tightly

Sam offered her an apologetic smile "Yeah, I'm not very good at showing my love for you, am I? Sorry for that"

"Don't need to apologize, I like you just as you are, it's cheesy, I know, but is true, and I don't want you to change, because I don't need you to do all that stuff to know that you love me, for the last year and a half, you made me very happy and I'm thankful for that" she said, looking up at his face and placing a sweet kiss on his lips

Cheesy? Yes, it was, but Sam didn't care, because he was so glad to hear McNally saying that to him "And I pretend to do that for a long time lady, I mean, we live together now, it's pretty huge, a hell of a commitment"

"Yes it is, and I couldn't be more happy" Andy disentangled herself from his embrace "But enough with the sweet talking, I want to see the last room, our bedroom"

"OOHHH, you want to see it? Just see it? 'Cause you know, I have some pretty good ideas, and I think you might like them" he wiggled an eyebrow suggestively

Andy pretended to think and smirked "I might be interested in some of those ideas, let's see how good they are" Yeah, well, there was no way she would deny anything to him, the man just spent the last seven days working on their house to make everything perfect, he deserved a reward, so reward him she did

"Is there any other room you want to "_see" _it_?" _Sam mumbled groggily, still recovering from the crazy things they did

Andy, who had her head buried on the crook of his neck just giggled tiredly, honestly, she was still weak from what Sam's body did to her, but everything was so amazing that she couldn't say no, she didn't want to "I heard there is a nice basement, is that true?"

"I don't know, why don't we go and "_see"_ it?"

So, yeah, they spend the entire day "_seeing"_ the house, neither knew how they had disposal to do all that, but as the sun set, their eyes were heavy and their limbs were numb, begging for a good night of sleep

"Thank you for today" Andy said, lying on her side of the bed

Sam, who was already waiting for her shrugged "You deserve it Andy, actually, we do, don't we?"

Andy chuckled and ran her fingers trough Sam's hair "Definitely, I mean, look at us, we have been through so many problems, who would've imagined that we would be together one day?"

"Me, I always knew" Sam said sarcastically

"How can you say that? You wanted to kill me when we first met" Andy said, remembering the day she tackled him

"You are right, I was so mad, I remember that I called my sister that day to tell her that I was back and I couldn't control my mouth… let's say some pretty ugly things came out of it"

"You? I think I've never seen you diss anyone" Andy laughed at the thought

"Yeah, that's for you to see how mad I was"

"Oh, you know what I just remembered?" Andy asked, sitting up "Traci and Dov were wondering when we would throw a party, you know, because of the house"

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head "A party? They are looking for an excuse to drink"

"So? It's going to be fun, and I told them it would be next weekend, there is no way we are backing off now"

"I'm not saying I want to, actually, I think it's going to be pretty fun, you, rookies, don't know when to stop, when you guys are drunk, pffft, incredible things can happen" Sam said, playing with the hem of Andy's shirt

Andy narrowed her eyes playfully "Hey, hey, that's not true"

"No? What about two weeks ago? You called me in the middle of the night, drunk. Oh, and we can't forget the fact that you told them about the elevator thing" he mocked Andy's last girls night

Andy smacked Sam's chest "I don't want to talk about that, end of question" so she laid on his chest again, wanting to feel his warmth

"Good night Andy"

"Good night Sam" she yawned "Oh, and just so you know, I'm expecting a nice breakfast in the morning, alright?"

"We'll see, we'll see"

Beep. Beep. Beep

It was 7:30, and time to get up, Sam, who usually had no trouble getting up didn't even stirred, Andy opened her eyes slowly and looked at her side, she knew what she had to do, so, quietly, she put some warm clothes and got out of bed

"Hey Sam, time to wake up" she shook him thirty minutes later

Putting the pillow over his head he mumbled something that Andy couldn't tell what it was

"I know you are tired, but we are on the early shift today, and I have something for you here, come on, open your eyes" she said, analyzing his toned body

"I'm up, I'm up" Sam sat, rubbing his eyes like a kid "just give me one minute that I'll cook you breakfast"

He remembered, and that was enough for her "I thought that you deserved more than me, so I made you breakfast for a change, you seemed so exhausted that I didn't want to wake you, so when you feel like it, there is a nice coffee downstairs waiting for us"

Sam sat Andy on his lap and kissed her, it was nice waking up like that "I'm a lucky guy, you know that?"

"I know, I'm pretty amazing"

"And so full of yourself too"" Sam chuckled "Let's go downstairs to see what you made us, it smells delicious"


	17. party

Andy had managed to throw a party on the weekend, and since everybody had the next day off, they didn't have to worry with staying until late, there was only a few friends, mostly, friends from 15th and everybody was having a great time, there were drinks and appetizers all over the house, looking around, Andy knew that cleaning everything up wouldn't be so fun, but it was all worth it.

"Sooooo, some time ago we started a game, but it wasn't that fun since Noelle and Traci weren't answering the questions, and now…" Gail said, when there was only the rookies and TO's left

Traci, who wasn't drunk like almost everyone else, stopped her before she could finish "No way Gail, don't even go there, please"

But Gail pretended not to hear Traci's request "Now, it's time to do it again, what do you chickens say?" she challenged everybody that was at the table

"I'm in" Andy agreed in a heartbeat, she loved games, every type of it

Not thinking twice, Dov and Chris jumped in too "There is no way I'm staying out of it"

"If everybody is going to play, I guess I will too" was Chris's excuse

At first, Jerry wanted to laugh, the ideia was so absurd, but it was like something was convincing him, curiosity maybe "I want to play, let's see what you've got"

"No way, I'm out" Noelle decreed when they all looked at her

Well, if she was out, there was only one person who could convince her, so like in a movie, everybody glared at Frank, pleading him to help them

He shrugged, and shook his head, in an apologizing way "Sorry, I'm not playing unless Noelle plays, and if she said no…I'm not the one who will change her mind"

"You know what, everybody is kinda drunk and won't remember a thing in the morning, so yeah, we'll play" Noelle said after second thought, which actually surprised everybody in a good way, and now, there was only one person left

"Traci? What do you say? Your man is playing, don't you want to know some kinky things about him? I mean, you know the rules, if you are not playing, you can't stay to listen" Dov asked while Chris and Andy pounded on the table chanting "Do it, do it" innumerous times

Traci didn't know what was worse, to play, or to listen a drunk Andy and Chris screaming some kind of mantra, so, she agreed, even though she knew she would regret it in the morning "Whatever, let's finish this thing"

"Niceee, so, everybody's in?" Dov said, looking around to make sure they didn't forget anyone

"Hm…no, not everybody, and I think the last person is going to be a little reluctant to agree" Someone chimed inn

But Dov couldn't think of any names, they were all there, who the hell was the missing person "I don't get it, who is missing? Everybody's here"

Andy rolled her eyes and laughed "Look around… Sam, Sam is missing, you know, Sam? One of the owners of this house? Sam? My boyfriend"

He slapped his forehead, realizing how dumb he was "Ohh, true, true, I hadn't noticed, where is that man?"

Andy closed her eyes, trying to remember the last time she saw him, it was hard, but she finally did it "Oliver and Zoe had to go, so he insisted in walking them to their car, so they are probably talking about a new sandwich, the next hockey game or poker night"

"Do we wait for him?" a confused Dov asked

Andy thought for a moment "I don't know, I mean, he is probably not going to accept it anyway"

And like Sam sensed they were talking about him, he appeared on the doorway "Who are you talking about?" he asked to nowhere in particular

"Hm…you?" Andy answered him

Sam narrowed his eyes suspiciously "Me? What about me?"

Gail was the one who decided to tell him "See, we want to play a game and…"

Sam raised his hand, signaling for her to stop, he knew where things were going, and he also knew the answer "No, you can stop there, don't even waste your time"

But Gail wasn't the one to give up that easily, it would take a lot more for her to back down "Hushhh, listen first, so, that game me and the girls played last girl's night out, and everybody agreed to play, everybody but you"

"Yeah, well, McNally was right, I'm not going to play"

"Why do you always have to be such a killjoy Swarek?" Gail whined like an eight year old kid and pouted

"Are you afraid of anything buddy?" Jerry challenged him

Sam snorted, there was no way he would play a game, what were they? Fifteen? No, no "First, I'm not a killjoy, I just don't want to play a stupid game, and second, I'm not baiting dear brother"

Andy, who was just watching the scene unfold, got out of her seat to pull Sam into a hug "Sam? Please? Play with us, it's just a harmless game"

"And what do I get with it?" he mumbled into her ear so no one could hear him

A mischievous grin spread all over her face "I'm sure we can arrange something later" she said, patting his strong chest

If there was something Sam couldn't deny was a request from Andy, it was his soft spot, but still, he was reluctant "Hmmm…I don't know, you know how much I hate games Andy"

"I know" she looked up at him and saw that he really didn't want to play "Ok, you are free to choose whatever you want, I won't be mad, I promise" Andy kissed him quickly

The corner of his lips tugged upwards and he knew Andy and the others had won "I lost the count of how many times I did stupid things for you, you know that?"

Okay, so everybody was quiet until now, but they were getting tired of Sam and his little game, they were crazy to play "Wow, wow, you two, don't even start with the romantic thing, now is not the time" Gail said

Sam cleared his throat and chuckled "Excuse me, we are in our house"

"Right now, I don't care. So, McNally convinced you or what?" Gail asked annoyed

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Sam agreed "Yeah, yeah, let's play that thing. How does this work?"

"It's simple, we sit in a circle, then spin a bottle, one person asks a question and the other one answers it, if you don't want to, that's fine, but you can only pass your question one time, so, choose carefully. Got it?" The blond explained quickly

Ughhh, why had he accepted to play? "Oh God, what are we? Fifteen? I feel like a girl in high school" he deadpanned

Again, like she did with Traci, Gail ignored him "Got it?"

"Ok, ok, got it, but I think it's too easy, we should add something, like, instead of passing only one time, we should make it three, but…but, there is a catch, every time you pass, you need to take a garment off, and finally, at the third time you decide to not answer…bye bye clothes, you get naked"

The room went silence with his suggest, everybody glanced around surprised, they weren't expecting that at all, not from someone like Sam

Gail clapped hands and cheered excitedly "Nice move Swarek, that's the spirit"

"Uh…uh, I don't know, naked? I think I will pass" Jerry groaned loudly

"What? Afraid to show your little dowry?" Sam teased his good friend

"Pffft, I'm sure the ladies will fall for it, I would be worry if I were you, McNally might want to switch partners" Jerry warned, using that detective tone

Sam looked at Andy's flushed face and winked "I'm sure she is perfectly satisfied with what I've got here, I mean…who wouldn't?"

"Will you girls stop?" An impatient Gail interrupted their trash talk "So Jerry, are you going to back off now?"

"Nah, let's play this damn thing "Jerry said, looking directly at Sam

"Good, so… let the fun begin"

So, everybody finished their drinks, like it was some kind of liquid courage, and sat in a circle around the coffee table. It was clear that some of them were exited, like Andy, Gail, Chris and Dov, others were apprehensive, like Noelle, Jerry, and Traci and there were the ones that didn't care, they were Sam and Frank

When everyone was set and ready to play, Chris grabbed an empty bottle and spun it, the thing turned round and round for some time and it finally stopped, Jerry could ask something to Dov, and as this was just the first question, he decided to go for something light "So Dov, if you were a girl, what kind of fantasy would you wear to impress your man?"

That was an easy one, and Dov had no problem thinking about a hot fantasy "Hmmm, I have to say a wonder woman costume, I mean, all those legs showing… it's nice"

They spun the bottle again, Chris was going to ask and Andy had to answer "When you were single and Swarek was undercover, did you ever had a…hum… hot dream with someone from the 15th that is not Sam?

Even a little drunk, Andy was capable of blushing, she tried to remember a hot dream with one of her coworkers but couldn't remember, sure, she dreamed with them always, but nothing involving sex "No, never, not even when I was taken, I promise"

Sam, who was by her side kissed her head _hmmm, so this can be better than I thought_

The next ones were Sam and Noelle, and when Noelle saw that it was her time to answer, she froze and sent a pointed glare to Sam, pleading him to ask something smooth, he thought for a few moments "So, what's your favorite animal?"

Nobody understood him, what was that? There was some protests coming from the others, he was supposed to do some nasty or embarrassing question, not ask about her favorite animal, but Sam didn't care, it was his question and he could ask whatever he wanted to

Noelle breathed relieved, she wasn't ready to answer a sexual question "Thank you Sammy, and I have to say that my favorite animal is the Lion"

Surprisingly, the bottle stopped again pointing at Sam and Noelle, and everybody was starting to protest against Sam's useless questions when he asked "Do you constantly ask Frank to roar like a lion when you are…you know…doing it? "

So, that was what they wanted to hear, seemed like Sam was only teasing them at the first time

Noelle blushed like never before "Oh God, kill me now, I can't believe this is happening"

"Come on Noelle, it's just the beginning" Sam pushed her

"Answer it dear Noelle, or, take your shirt off" Dov hurried her

"Yes, yes, I do, now, spin this shit please" She blurted

Before they could play another round, Frank's phone rang, he answered it and everybody waited for him to hung up

"Yeah, so…It was the babysitter, Jack is not feeling well and I think it's best if we go home now" He explained what the person on the other side of the phone said

Immediately Noelle got up, put her coat and said good bye to everyone "I just wish the babysitter had called five minutes early"

With Frank and Noelle gone, they decided to continue the game, there wasn't a reason why they shouldn't

"Swarek, tell me your favorite position in sex with Andy, and you can't say all of them, because I'm asking your favorite, one, nothing more" Gail, always the boldest one asked

When the bottle pointed to him and Gail, Sam knew something hard would come from her mouth, she was Gail and she was drunk, he expected nothing else, and as much as he wanted to answer, he went against it, that was something private, so he took his shirt off

Gail snorted "chicken"

By his side, he felt Andy release the breath she was holding

The bottle was spinning again, it was Andy's time, she could answer Gail anything

"So, have you ever thought that maybe Chris, Dov, Jerry, or Sam could be gay?"

"Yes, definitely, Swarek, I mean, I hit on him more than once and the guy did nothing, I knew he liked you, but after you and homicide broke up he did nothing, and he waited for you for almost two years and didn't get involved with another girl, I mean…I was starting to think that maybe he was gay"

Everybody was laughing so hard when Gail finished that there were tears coming out of their eyes, even Sam offered a smile

"I assure you, he is not gay" Andy managed to say between giggles

"So, are you guys going to laugh or are we going to play? And Gail, I'm not gay sweetheart" Sam said, feigning annoyance

* * *

><p>Almost two hours later, they were still playing, Sam and Chris were shirtless, Jerry was naked, holding a cushion on his lap to hide his…thing, and Dov, Gail and Andy were the only ones that had answered all of the questions, maybe because they were the drunkest ones<p>

Sam interrupted the game "Listen, it's late, I think we should do something different now, everybody choose one person to answer a question, you can't choose a person that has already answered, so that way, everybody gets the chance to ask something and everybody get to answer only one time, and we finish this stupid teenager game, agreed?"

Since everybody was tired, they agreed, Dov chose Andy, who chose Gail, Gail would ask Jerry, who would ask Sam, Sam picked Chris, which was left with Dov. Traci was sleeping on the couch and they decided it was best to leave her like that, she had retrieved herself from the game a long time ago

First one was Dov, he thought wisely how he wanted to spend his last question "Andy…have you ever faked an hmm…orgasm with Sam?"

Nice, how come the last questions were always the hottest ones?

Andy looked at Sam and smiled, mainly because she was seeing two of him, so she looked at Dov again and shook her head "Never, I'm telling you Dov, this man…you should try him once, it's magical, the best ever"

A few cat-calls were heard, and Andy blushed, like she realized just then what she had told them "My turn, Gail, did Chris ever asked something weird, that you thought "what?"

Gail laughed, she knew the answer, and it was funny "Yes, once, he wanted me to dress up like a lady from Star Trek, I don't even remember her name, and he recited a line from the movie too, I was like, what the hell Chris"

Christ tried to defend himself, but it was useless, nobody stopped to hear him, and there wasn't an explanation either

"So, Detective, we all know you and Traci got cozy in interrogation one, but my question is, how many girls have you taken there? And were you ever caught?"

everybody knew Jerry was a womanizer, he was the one to always tell his stories, so there was no problem to say the truth "Eight, and yes, I got caught with the first one, I was a rookie, I remember Sam was watching the door for me, but Sgt. Jens wanted to talk to me, so when he asked Sammy where was I, the man saw right through Sam's lie, the next day, he called me in his office and told me he knew everything, I almost got fired, but I think I was too good to be dismissed"

"But hey, that's in the past, now, it's my turn, Sammy, craziest sex ever, and it can't be with McNally"

Uhhh, hard, Andy was so jealous that Sam knew he would answer some questions about that later "See, the first time I went undercover I was kind of seeing a girl, and I knew I would be gone for a long time, and the day before I left we went out, it was a diner, so when she went to the bathroom, I went after her, she didn't know I was leaving the next day, but we had sex in the bathroom, it was so crazy because I wanted to enjoy the most of it, since I would be out for a few months, so it was that hungry, rough, crazy sex, I think I even scared her a little"

Andy looked at him, that was something she didn't know about him, probably because she avoided all questions about Sam's ex-girlfriend or whatever, she could feel her blood boiling, who was that girl? Hm… Sam mouthed sorry and proceeded with his question "Dear Chris, favorite color"

No, not that again, everybody was expecting something nice from Sam, and he asked about favorite color? That man was a tease, the expression on everybody's face was priceless, it was a mix of confusion with disappointment, Chris was the only one happy with it "Brown, and now, my turn, so we can finish this game, because I'm almost sleeping here. Dov, my brother, which one of the girls do you think is the best one in bed?"

If Dov was honest, he was constantly thinking about that, who was the best, time to say what was on his mind "Nash, I mean, I think the shyest ones are always the best, not that I think Andy or Gail are bad, but I think Traci is better, no talking, just action, not that I will find out anyway…" he said the last part looking at Jerry's face

"Hey, that's my woman you are talking about, watch it" Jerry threatened playfully and slapped Dov's head

"I want to play more" Andy said

"Nope, see dear, Chris said he is almost sleeping, Nash is dead on the sofa, Jerry is naked with our cushion covering his little buddy, I'm tired of telling them things about our sex life, so NO, the game is over"

Andy pouted and put on her best puppy eyes "Please Sam"

An ideia popped in his mind, they hadn't been together the whole day, Andy was too busy planning the party, and he had to run a few errands, so, they had spend just a few moments together, and that wasn't enough for him"I know a game we can play, me and you, in our bedroom, I guarantee you it's going to be way better than this one right here, so, what do you say?"

Andy turned her back to him "Sooo, guys, it was nice having you around, but I'm tired" she said, faking a yawn

Everybody knew what was going on, so they didn't bother to try and protest, it was time to say good bye, and they knew it


	18. insecure

Andy was sleeping peacefully when a noise that looked like shattered glass woke her up, she glanced at the clock and saw it was almost 6:30, was it possible that someone broke in their house? She looked at Sam, who was snoring lightly, probably because he had too many drinks at poker night, and decided to wake him up

"Sam?" She called him and nuzzled his shoulder gently

He stirred, but didn't open his eyes

So Andy tried again, this time, she called him louder "Swarek!"

Sam felt something shaking him, but he was so tired that he kept his eyes shut, however, the person trying to wake him from that heavenly sleep didn't give up and called him louder, _damn it,_ "What?" he said, a little annoyed

"Wake up" Andy demanded, she was worried and Sam wasn't even paying attention to her

"What is it McNally? This better be good" he looked at her from under the covers

She pushed the blanket away, trying to force him to sit "Didn't you hear? I heard something downstairs Sam, what if…" before she could start saying her theories, Sam cut her off

"Don't worry Andy" he told her, almost drifting off to sleep again

"What? How can I not worry? What if there is someone there? Shouldn't we be calling the police?" Andy said, starting to get agitated

Sam sighed and sat, leaning against the headboard "Shhhh, hear me out" he waited for her to look at him with those big brown eyes "Yesterday we hosted poker night, remember? So, we were almost at the end when Traci called Jerry, the guy was a little drunk and stressed about some case he had been working and he wasn't winning anything from us either, anyway…he ended up arguing with Nash, I don't know what that was about, but he thought it would be better if he crashed here, you know…give her some space and all that crap, he slept on the guest bedroom, so, the noise? Probably Jerry, don't worry ok?"

The story tranquilized her a lot, not that she was happy with Traci's and Jerry's fight, not at all, she was just glad that there wasn't a thief inside her house "Ok, I'm sorry for waking you"

"Don't worry, I should probably head downstairs, see if he needs something, you go back to sleep, alright? I'll be back in a moment" Sam said, kissing the top of her head and climbing out of bed

Just as he predicted, Jerry was fully awake searching for something inside the cabinets, he didn't notice Sam standing near the kitchen counter, so when he turned around, he dropped the pans he was holding, making Sam flinch at the noise "Jesus Sammy, are you trying to kill me? You almost gave me a heart attack"

"Can you please, stop with the noise? It's not even 7:00, Andy and I are trying to sleep"

Jerri laughed lightly "Sleep, hun? Is that how they call it now?"

Sam shook his head in disbelief "Yeah, go ahead, smile now, because in like…two hours or so, you will be crying, if you don't remember, Nash is pissed at you"

As everything from last night flooded his memory, his smile fell, he knew he was in trouble "Low blow my man, low blow, but you are probably right, I'm screwed, I don't even know why we fought, and Traci is going to bit my head off"

"Well, I say you should start to think of a way to apologize, otherwise… you will be using my spare bedroom for quite some time, and I don't want that"

"So you are not worried about my relationship? You just don't want me to mess with you and McNally's sex life, nice friend I have, hun?"

"Hey, hey, I didn't say that, and I let you stay over, didn't I? So I'm not that bad" Sam kidded

As much as Jerry knew that Sam was only teasing him about using the spare bedroom for a time, he couldn't help but feel worried about his future with Traci "Ok, so, what should I do? Any ideas?"

"You are asking me? Seriously?" Sam asked, heading to the coffee machine to pour a mug of black coffee for him

"Come on, you and McNally fight almost every day, you must have some good ideas"

Sam thought for a moment about their fights "First of all, we never fought for real, the only time we did, it was Andy's fault and she apologized to me, it was very nice of her, I have to say…anyway, as I was saying, it's always about a stupid thing, so we both just say sorry and everything is fine, and I think you should be asking for Andy's advice, not mine, she knows Nash like no one else"

Jerry was about to answer when Andy interrupted them "True" she said, hugging Sam from behind and kissing his bare shoulder

Sam turned around and placed a soft kiss on her lips "Sorry, I couldn't go back to the bed because our friend here was asking for my help. You having trouble to sleep?"

Still hugged to Sam, Andy rested her head on his chest, it was something she found very comforting, hearing his heart beat put her at peace "Yes, I don't feel like sleeping anymore, so, what did you do to my friend Jerry?" she asked, not really looking at him, since she was nestled in Sam's arms

"I don't know, we argued, but I don't know why, something about Dex. So, any idea how I can apologize to her?" he asked once again, in hopes Andy would help him

"Look, she texted me five minutes ago, said you were a jerk and that she wanted to talk to me later, I could tell she was mad, I think you should be honest with her, and whatever she says, you agree, even if you don't feel like it, and beg for her forgiveness, I think that should do"

"You are right, that's what I'm going to do, thanks. I think I should go now, buy her some flowers and then head home"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, she said she would be here in ten minutes to pick you up, and that was five minutes ago, which means, she will be here in five, no time for flowers today" Andy warned him

"Oh Lord, help me God, please, please please" Jerry pleaded helpless, if there was something he hated, was a mad Traci, and when the cause of that madness was him, he hated even more

Sam, who was stroking Andy's hair in silence, laughed from Jerry's panicked face "Relax, you will be fine" he tried to put the poor man at ease

Jerry narrowed his eyes at his friend, not finding the situation funny at all "Let's see if you find anything funny when you and Andy argue, I'll be the one laughing then"

"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't pretend to fight with McNally anytime soon buddy" Sam said, kissing Andy's lips quickly

Andy smiled from ear to ear, it was so good to hear Sam saying stuff like that, he was always so guarded and anti-romantic that whenever something cute came out of his mouth, she couldn't help but grin like a lunatic "See Jerry, you should do just like Sam"

A loud knock at the front door interrupted them, it could only be one person, Traci. Andy reluctantly disentangled herself from Sam's arms and rushed to answer the door. Giving her best friend a quick hug, she nodded towards the kitchen, indicating that Jerry was there

"Good morning Sam" Traci said, before turning to look at Jerry "Let's go, we need to talk" her tone was as cold as ice, and by the harsh look she gave him, you could tell it would take Jerry a lot of flowers and begging to earn her forgiveness

Jerry sat at the passengers side and waited for Traci to join him, he saw from the corner of his eyes the two girls talking

"Trac, I know you are mad, but don't do anything stupid ok? Call me later if you need anything, and again, don't do anything you will regret" Andy gave her a comforting hug

Traci smiled and relaxed a little "Don't worry, I'm not that mad, I'm just giving him the cold shoulder, he was a real jerk, but I'm not going to break up with him, I love Jerry. I'll call you later so we can talk ok? Bye Andy, love you" She turned and walked to her car "Thanks for everything Sam" she called over her shoulder before getting in the driver's side

Sam and Andy stood together by the doorway and watched as Traci drove away

"So, will they be fine?" Sam asked Andy

"Sure they will, not as fine as us, but they will"

They both made their way back to the kitchen, it was probably their favorite place of the house- along with their room, where the magic happened- they had so much fun in there, it was a place to talk about their work, a place to discuss their relationship, cook a nice dinner for Andy, and sometimes, they ended up covered in flour, making out on the top of the kitchen counter

"Hey, McNally, I was thinking… your birthday is only a week away, do you have something in mind? Are you planning to do something?" Sam said, while looking for some ingredients inside the fridge

Andy, who was a big fan of parties, whether they be birthday or holidays parties, smiled "Hm, I was thinking that we should just hang out at The Penny, nobody has the next day off, so a big party would be useless, and I thought we could go for a lunch with my dad, he told me he wanted to spend some time with me, like we do every year, why?"

Sam shrugged and placed the ingredients on the counter "Last Christmas Sarah gave me two airplane tickets, said I could choose the destination, and I didn't use them, so I was thinking we could go somewhere, but we don't have to, we can stay here with your friends, really"

Andy was taken by surprise "Seriously? I would love to, but what about work?"

"I can talk to Frank, I'm sure he won't mind if we go, it's only a weekend, and we deserve a break, but are you sure you want to go? We can use them later, I know you like to spend the day with your dad and friends, don't feel like you have to go McNally" Sam said

Andy got up from the stool and stood by his side, just by watching him prepare their breakfast, she could tell he was nervous, those skilled hands weren't as steady as they normally were, it was incredible how Sam was always confident about everything, but when it came to McNally, he was always insecure, she looked at his face and placed a hand on his arm "Sam, sometimes I want to kick you, of course I want to go, stop being so insecure, I don't understand that, I should be the one insecure here, I mean, look at you, charming, good cook, can handle tolls and a gun like no one else, great listener, do you want me to go on?"

"Thanks for the compliments, but you know, it's just that… I'm not all that, and you…you are amazing, to say the least, I don't like my insecure side, I try my best to hide it, but sometimes…I can't help it, sorry, but hey, now that we agreed to go, do you have any particular place you want to go?"

"Nope, we can think about that later, I just want to eat now, the breakfast smells delicious"

"Of course it does, I made it, unlike you, I know how to cook a decent meal" he teased Andy's terrible cooking skills

"Hey hey, watch your mouth mister, plus, you know I tried to learn" Andy said, laughing, remembering the time Sam tried to teach her how to cook meatballs but failed miserably, the final result was anything but meatballs, not to mention that she almost set the kitchen on fire

"Yeah, you did, I have to say, one of the funniest days in my entire life, almost peed in my pants"

"Totally" Andy couldn't control her laughter

"Hey McNally, I love you"

"Me too, Sam, me too" she said, leaning over the table and kissing him


	19. Brian

**Hello everybody, so I'm on vacation again, which means I can continue my FF's. I apologize for the long wait and I want to say I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes, English is not my first language, so, I'm sorry again. **

* * *

><p>"Dude! What a surprise, what are you doing here?" Oliver asked when he saw Sam sitting in one of those uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room<p>

Sam clapped Oliver's back "Yeah…well, I was playing with little Bry on the playground and he fell from a climbing wall and broke his right arm. I swear Ollie, that kid is nuts, we can't turn our back on him that something happens" he said, chuckling lightly

"I think we both know where all that came from, if I remember correctly, you weren't an angel and neither was McNally"

It was true and Sam knew it, he was a troubled kid, sometimes he drove Marie crazy, he lost count on how many times the school called her complaining about his bad behavior, not that he was a bad kid, he was just restless, couldn't stay put for too long, being in a classroom for five or six hours was like being in jail, he just couldn't do it.

"I guess you are right. But what about you? What are you doing here? Everything alright with Zoe and the girls?"

"Sure, things are great, I'm here to interview a witness"

Just as they were talking, a nurse came and called Sam's name, asking him to follow her so they could discharge Brian

"Sorry, have to go now, see you later Ollie, send the girls a kiss, will ya?" Sam said, hugging Oliver good bye

"Sure, sure, see you tomorrow Sammy and don't forget you owe me a beer"

Sam entered the doctor's office and immediately saw his son Brian with a blue plaster covering his injured arm. Brian was 4 and had the same big brown eyes of his mother, surprisingly the kid was born redheaded, everybody thought it was strange, their friends used to make fun of Sam saying that he wasn't the father at all, of course it was just a joke and he didn't care. One day Tommy told them that Brian had inherited that from Andy's mother.

Brian was already smiling from ear to ear, showing his big teeth and clearly saying that he was ready for another little adventure. Nothing could stop that kid.

"Look look look dad, it's a blue one this time, it matches my pajamas and mom's uniform" The kid proudly showed his broken arm

Sam couldn't help but laugh, Brian was something else, the most amazing thing that happened in his life "Yeah? I think this one is pretty awesome, better than the last one"

All of a sudden, Brian frowned and got serious "Do you think mom will get mad again?"

Sam had to laugh, Andy always got mad when something happened with Bry, of course there wasn't much she could do, she just tried to convince him to pay attention while playing, but Brian was just a kid and didn't understand, he just wanted to have fun

"Naaaah, I don't think so buddy, it wasn't your fault, I'll deal with her, ok?" Sam said, trying to reassure his son "Now, are you ready to go home?"

Brian bobbed his head up and down and yawned, he was very tired from spending time in the hospital and really wanted to leave

Seeing his son was sleepy, Sam picked him up and caressed his back, almost immediately Brian nestled in his father's arms, encircled his neck, rested his face in the crook of Sam's neck and closed his eyes, that was a safe place and Brian loved it, Sam could feel his son starting to drift off and kissed his head

* * *

><p>"Sam?" Andy called while entering their house. She looked to her left and saw two pairs of muddy shoes and stinky socks on the carpet and sighed, she was tired of telling Sam and Brian to let the dirty shoes on the back porch<p>

Sam came out from the bathroom to greet Andy "Hey you, how was your day?" he asked after giving her a nice kiss

Andy hugged Sam and stayed in his arms for a moment, just taking in his scent and feeling his arms around her, she missed not being able to spend the day with her husband and her son "It was exhausting, but I'm glad I'm home now, what did you and Bry did?"

Time to face the beast, Sam thought. He hesitated a little and scratched his head, thinking of the best way to tell Andy about the little incident "Hm…we went to the playground, and well…something happened"

As soon as Sam hesitated, Andy knew something different had happened, so she eyed him carefully and took in his appearance, although he wasn't showered yet, his shirt was all wet and so was his hair, he smelled like something she knew very well, hospital, and Brian was too quiet, which was very strange, normally he was running around the house, breaking something or giving Sam a hard time "What happened? Why are you dripping? You are worrying me Sam"

Putting both hands on Andy's shoulders to steady her, he began "Calm down, everything is alright, kind of, well…Bry fell from that mini-climbing wall and broke his arm, we went to the hospital and everything else is ok" Andy was about to protest but Sam held his hand up to stop her "and as to the dripping part, well, it was difficult to give him a bath, trying to avoid the plaster and all. I was just cleaning his bathroom when you came in, now, please, don't be mad or upset, it wasn't his fault"

Andy couldn't believe it, not one month ago the kid was at the hospital to stitch his chin, just because Brian tripped on his own little foot while running away from bath time, and there he was again at the E.R, that place was becoming his second house, but Sam was right, she couldn't be mad or upset, things like that happened "That kid… how can such a beautiful and angelic thing be so …crazy?" she said, laughing lightly

Seeing Andy laugh eased Sam's concern, so he pushed her in the direction of their son's room "Go, he is waiting for you to say good night, I'll be in our room waiting for you" he kissed her head and turned in the opposite direction

Andy entered Brian's room quietly, it still amazed her how big and beautiful it was, Sam had done an amazing job fixing it for their son when he turned three, he painted two walls of dark blue and the other two were white, there was a shelf with a collection of old cars -a gift from Sarah- a bookcase filled with interesting books –a gift from Zoe-, by his bed there was a nightstand with a lamp from captain America, his favorite superhero, that lit his room with stars, a trunk full of toys and there were some helicopters and airplanes - that Sam made with the help of Brian- hanging from the ceiling

Brian was almost sleeping when he heard his mother entering his room, immediately he jumped from his bed and met her with a tight hug "Mommy"

There was nothing better than to get home from a tiring day and be met with such gesture, it was all Andy needed to feel complete, her son and her husband around her "Hey baby boy, are you ok? Dad told me what happened"

Brian held his mother's hand and dragged her to bed with him "I'm sorry mom, I fell, but I promise, it won't happen again"

They both knew that wasn't true "Hey, it's OK, don't worry, I'm not mad"

Hearing that his mother wasn't mad was everything he needed "Cool, thank you mom, I love you very very very vey very very much" Brian said, kissing Andy's cheek and drooling all over her face purposely

"Oh no you did not" Andy said faking indignation and suddenly attacking him with tickles.

Brian giggled hard, tears were streaming down his face and he was trying his best to escape her mother's fingers

"And that's what happens when you drool all over my face"

Trying to regain his breath Brian nodded "Won't happen again"

Andy saw that her son's eyes were heavy so she caressed his hair and gave him a kiss "Now it's time to sleep, if you need anything, mom and dad will be right down the hall, all you have to do is call. Ok?"

"Yes"

"Good night baby, I love you"

"I love you"

Andy left the room quietly and made her way to the front door, she picked the dirty shoes and socks that the boys had left there and put them on the laundry basket. After a quick stop at the kitchen to drink a glass of water, she went to her room.

Sam was already tucked in bed reading his book, shirtless and wearing glasses when Andy entered. He stopped right away and stared at her in wonder, she was beautiful as always, he would never get tired of looking at his wife "So, how was it with our little hurricane?" he teased

Andy snuggled closer to Sam and caressed his chest while he massaged her hair, which was something she loved "It was good, I told him I wasn't mad and we joked a little but he was tired so I let him sleep, we can talk tomorrow, it's my day off"

Sam barely paid attention to what Andy said, he drifted off for a moment and Andy realized "Hey, what are you thinking that you are not paying attention to me?"

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking how good our life is, how blessed we are to have little Bry around, how things turned out, you know?"

"I know what you mean, we have been through a lot, and Brian happened so suddenly and everything is so chaotic and magic with him here, but I wouldn't change a thing"

"Really? Not even the part where we leave our dirty clothes around the house? Or when I boss you around the station?"

"Not even that, I promise, you are the best boss ever"

* * *

><p><em>Sam, was sitting by the fireplace with a beer in hand just waiting for Andy to get home, he had talked to Frank about his and Andy's little trip and had met Elaine Peck on his way too, which took him by surprise. Not fifteen minutes later, Andy got home<em>

"_Sam, how was it? Everything clear for our trip?" Andy asked excitedly as soon as she stepped inside the house_

_Sam merely nodded and right away Andy saw that something wasn't right, so she dropped her bag near the door and sat beside him "Hey, what's wrong?"_

_Andy's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he turned his face to look at her, offering a smile that didn't reach his eyes he explained "Yes, I talked to Frank and he gave us 9 days off, which is more than we were expecting, right?"_

_Okay, so, Andy was lost, Sam was acting strangely with no apparent reason "That's great, but now, why don't you tell me what's bugging you?"_

_Sighing and rubbing his eyelids tiredly, Sam placed his hand on top of Andy's "I met Elaine Peck today and she said she wanted to talk to me, so, we talked, turns out she offered me a different kind of job, something related to GnG, the offer was pretty tempting"_

_Uhoh, this was something Andy dreaded since they got together, she wasn't ready to lose Sam to another Undercover job, but if it was something Sam loved, she would have to hang on and support him "So…? When do you leave?"_

"_Are you really letting me go that easily?" Sam tried to lighten the mood a little_

_It was very typical of Sam, when things were too serious he would crack some awful joke or tease the situation a little, which wasn't necessarily bad, it was something Andy liked "You know…I could use a break from your sweaty clothes on top of my clean ones…just saying" _

_Sam laughed from Andy's statement "I'm trying to improve that, I'm sorry, but hey, I'm not the one who forgets wet towels spread all over our bed am I?"_

"_Liar. That only happened once, and you know it" Andy gave him a pointed look, daring him to disagree_

_Kissing her lips softly and mumbling an 'I know', Sam easily lifted Andy from the couch and pulled her to his lap "I said 'no'"_

_Her brows drew together in confusion " 'no' what? I didn't say anything"_

"_Silly, I said no to Peck, I said I was over GnG a long time ago, how can I go when I'm perfectly happy here? No way, no money in this world will make me change my mind, Elaine and GnG can kiss my ass"_

_And just like that Andy wanted to cry, she wasn't a softie, but all the love she got from Sam was something she never expected to have, taking a deep breath, Andy touched his forehead with hers "I have to ask you. Are you sure of that?"_

_Sam pretended to think a little "Hmm…let me see…stay at home with my nice, beautiful, hot girlfriend that I love or stay away for six months, surrounded by drugs and God knows what else? Well, as you see, it is a difficult decision indeed"_

"_OK, I see your point. I love you Sam" Andy brushed her lips over his_

_"Now, no more talking," he murmured against her mouth, arms encircling her waist to haul her up against his body _

_Not even one month later, Sam was being called again by Elaine, only this time she had a much better offer, one he couldn't deny, to replace Frank Best as Sergeant at 15__th__ , it was perfect, that would give him and Andy flexible shifts, which was great since they discovered Andy's pregnancy._

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><p><strong>Yeah, well, they have a troubled kid now, I'm sorry if you don't like it<strong>


	20. Another day

**A/N: Hello everybody, thanks for your kind reviews and alerts…so, just to clear some things, first, someone mentioned Brian sounding like a 8 year old kid and I know it's strange that he is only four, but well, I'm basing his character on my little brother who is now six and the incredible things that happened to him when he was four, he still drives us crazy sometimes. And second, "bebesmom" asked about Frank…well, he is fine, just not working at 15th anymore.**

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><p>Sam was sleeping peacefully after a long and tiring day at work with Andy snoring lightly by his side, this quietness was so strange and unfamiliar, their house was so noisy, messy and crowded with friends most of the days that sometimes they forgot what the sound of silence was like.<p>

The alarm went off indicating that it was time to wake up, Andy mumbled something like "5 more minutes" and turned to the other side covering her head with a pillow. Sam turned the disturbing noise off and kept his eyes shut, giving his body time to process that it was time to wake up when a chubby and small hand banged his chest repeatedly, Sam immediately opened his eyes and looked to his right, startled

"No, how is this possible? How? Hun little guy?" Sam asked, baffled to see his son standing by his side covered in talc and smiling

Seeing his dad's confused face, Brian let out a low chuckle

Sam lifted Brian, placed him on top of his stomach and said while playfully poking the kid's belly "Listen, if mom wakes up, we will be in trouble buddy, let's hope she won't, alright? Now, I'm going to give you a nice and warm bath, what do you say?"

Before Bry could say anything in response, they heard Andy's sleepy voice "mom's already awake, but I'm afraid of what I might see when I open my eyes"

Brian clumsily got out of Sam's stomach, making sure to step right in his dad's low area and jumped on top of Andy, filling her with wet kisses "mommy mommy mommy, I found my talc"

When Andy finally opened her eyes and saw Bry with his big brown eyes looking at her, his hair no longer red, but white from the talc and his once clean pajamas covered with the white powder, she didn't know if she laughed or if she cried "Daddy should be ashamed to try to hide this from mom, hear me dad?" Andy addressed to Sam, who was writhing in pain since Brian smashed his jewelries

"Sorry, won't happen again" Sam managed to say between gasps

Brian looked to his side with a confused face "what happened to dad, mom?"

Andy pressed her lips together trying not to laugh "dad is just being a whiner, nothing happened"

Sam laughs dryly and shakes his head "riiiight, nothing happened buddy, now, go to your room and take your pajamas off so I can give you a bath, I'll be there in one second, ok?"

Brian nodded and went running to his room

"Good morning" Andy said, finally being able to give Sam a kiss

Sam kissed her lightly, holding her close to him for a while and smiled "Good morning. Now, how the hell did that happened?"

Being in Sam's arms was so good and comfortable that Andy closed her eyes again and rested her head on his chest for a moment "I think I might have left the talc on his nightstand, I never thought he would make such a mess with it, now I can see I was completely wrong"

"Yeah, well, I…" Sam didn't have time to finish, he was interrupted by a kid's impatient voice

"Come onnnnnn, I'm waiting dadyyyyyyy" Brian shouted from his bathroom

Sam smiled and rolled his eyes "Yeah, I better go now, you stay here sleeping while you can, I'm going to give him a bath then I'll make some breakfast and come to wake you when everything is ready"

"Ok" Andy said, already dozing off

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><p>After Sam finished cleaning his son, they made their way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, Brian loved to help his parents in the kitchen, usually they would give him easy and harmless tasks like spread the butter on the toast or mix the ingredients together, it was probably the only time of the day besides when they were sleeping that Brian would really behave, so, Sam placed Bry on top of the kitchen counter and began cooking<p>

"Dad?" Brian suddenly stopped what he was doing

"Yeah? What's wrong buddy?"

"I want two things for my birthday" he held two little fingers up to emphasize his point

Sam and Andy had mentioned to him days ago that his birthday was coming and that he had to think what gifts he wanted, apparently he had thought and reached a decision

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Sam asked, curiously

"I want a dog and a brother" He said excitedly by the idea

Sam, who until this point was stirring pancakes on the stove, froze in place, he wasn't expecting that at all, maybe a videogame or a new remote control helicopter, but a brother? Really? Well, truth be told he and Andy had talked briefly about a second child weeks ago when she got sick and everybody thought there was a second hurricane on their way

_Sam woke up in the middle of the night to an empty bed, the sheets by his side were still warm, which meant that Andy wasn't gone for too long, so he waited a few minutes, thinking that maybe Andy had gone to the kitchen to drink some water, but when five minutes passed and she wasn't back, Sam decided to get up and look for her, firstly he checked Bry's bedroom, his son was sleeping safe and soundly and there was no sign of Andy there so he slowly got out and closed the door behind him. He was going to the kitchen when he heard a noise coming from the bathroom, he quickly made his way towards the sound and found Andy washing her mouth, she was a little pale and her legs were shaking_

"_Andy, sweetheart, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly _

_Andy looked nervously at him, she didn't know what was wrong, she chewed on her lip a moment thinking what she should say "I don't know Sam, there are two options, either I ate something…"_

"_And what do you think?" Sam asked, a little unsure about what he was feeling_

"_To be honest? I think it might be the second option Sam, and I know we haven't discussed this and maybe it's too soon, maybe Brian won't accept the news too well, maybe he will get mad with us, and things will get a little bit complicated with a second child, but…" She started rambling thinking about what could go wrong when Sam hugged her and stopped her short_

"_Shhh, come on Andy, don't worry, if there is a baby inside you, it will be a blessing, no, we didn't talk about this, but so what? With Bry was the same thing, we didn't plan him either and everything turned out great, and I'm sure he would be happy to have someone he could play with, we shouldn't worry" He said, running a soothing hand on her back, trying his best to make her feel better_

_Andy considered his words for a moment and nodded, Sam was right, they shouldn't worry "I love you" _

"Dad? I think…"

"Something is burning" Suddenly Andy appeared on the kitchen, urgency in her voice, trying to comprehend why her house smelled like smoke

Sam was pulled out of his thoughts by Andy and his son pointing to the frying pan, realizing that there was smoke everywhere he turned the stove off and the exhaust fan on "I'm sorry, just got distracted, but hm…I guess we won't eat pancakes"

"Brian, do you know what mommy just realized? Dad can't make fun of me anymore, because we are even, I burned the pasta once and now it was him who burned breakfast, so dad, listen to me. We. Are. Even" She celebrated, picking their son and dancing with him through the kitchen, laughing

"No, come on, that's unfair, I cook everyday and have never burned anything, this was my first and only time, unlike you who tried once and almost lost your hand and destroyed the entire kitchen" Sam tried to reason with Andy but knew he wasn't going to win

"Mom is right dad, it's even now" Bry expressed his opinion, clearly taking Andy's side

Sam placed a hand on his chest, faking resentment "Wrong side buddy, are you sure you want to eat mommy's food for the rest of your life? Or what about the pistachio ice cream I always let you have before dinner when she isn't home?"

Brian made a disgusting face, struggled out of Andy's arms and ran to his dad's side lifting his little arms so Sam could understand that he wanted to be lifted

"No, no, no, don't want mommy's food, pleeease, and she doesn't let me have ice cream, please dad, please" Brian said like he was really worried

Andy placed a hand on her waist and narrowed her eyes at them "Ice cream? Before dinner? Behind my back? Saaaaaaam, you know what the pediatrician said about candy before meals, it's a no no, that's why Brian has stomachache sometimes, I can't believe you"

"Well, the pediatrician doesn't need to know, and you see, it's pistachio ice cream, it's healthy, think of it as a fruit Andy, and it's not like I give it to him every day, it's just a prize for when Bry behaves during the day"

"Yeah mommy, it's a fruit" Brian agreed with his father, making the most adorable face he could manage

"A fruit my a…" Andy started but was stopped short by Sam's protests

They were really trying to avoid bad words around Brian, the kid once heard Jerry swearing at poker night and couldn't stop repeating the ugly word for a while which wasn't nice at all, until someday Sam and Andy sat Brian on a chair, tried to explain that it wasn't nice to say such things and made Bry promise that he would never repeat the word again

_Diaz knocked on Sam's door "Sam, there is someone looking for you at the front desk" he pointed to where two people were happily waiting for him_

_Sam looked up from the document he was reading and followed Chris's gaze. His eyes lit up the moment he saw his wife and Brian talking with Gail "Thanks, have you said hi to your godson already?" _

_After being partnered with Chris for a long time, they had grown to be great friends, which seemed very unlikely before, so, when Brian was born and Andy suggested Chris as the godfather along with Gail as the godmother he didn't mind at all. They were the only rookies that remained at 15__th__, Dov had gone to Guns and Gangs and Traci was working at 27__th__, so, the three of them were pretty close friends_

_Chris shook his head "No, not yet, I came here first, I was just going there too if you don't mind"_

_Sam got up and made his way to the door where Chris was standing "Hey, you know I'm a nice boss, come on, let's go"_

_Both man crossed the bullpen and happily made their way to Gail, Andy and Brian, the moment Brian saw his dad and Uncle Chris he ran to them, of course, his legs were too short and chubby and he fell hard_

_Sam, Andy, Chris and Gail watched as the kid slowly stood up and got his balance again, they all breathed relieved that Bry was alright _

_After a moment passed they heard him murmuring a soft "Shit"_

_Gail laughed hard, Chris stood there motionless and Sam and Andy widened their eyes. _

_Getting home, Sam remembered that one day, when they were hosting poker night, Andy took Brian to the basement to say goodnight and the moment she entered, Jerry was shouting "Shit, I lost again", they never thought Brian had heard that, he had his eyes closed and was almost sleeping…well, apparently, they were wrong_

"Well, if you think of it as a fruit, you might as well trade it for a REAL fruit, hear me? You two should be ashamed" Andy suggested

Brian scrunched his nose and shook his head in disgust "Blaghh"

"Ok, I promise, ice cream only after meals" Sam raised his hand in a mocking scouts gesture "Oh, and Andy, by the way, Bry already knows what he wants for his birthday and I think it's just great" He said grinning, showing the dimples

"Yeahhhhhhhhh mom, I did and it's awesome" Brian cheered

"Really babe? And what is it?" Andy said, ruffling her son's hair

"A dog and a Brother. Great, no?"

And just like Sam, she was stunned

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><p><strong>Hope everybody likes this chapter, thanks for reading...<strong>


	21. three hours

**Hello everyone, just wanted to say thanks for the kind reviews, so, here is another chapter and again, I'm sorry for any grammar mistake. Hope you enjoy it**

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><p>"Sam?" Andy shook her husband awake during the night<p>

Sam growled something Andy couldn't understand and turned to the other side putting a pillow over his head

Andy huffed annoyed and tried again, this time poking his back repeatedly "Come onnn Sam"

After a few moments of poking, Sam knew Andy wasn't giving up, so he gave in and finally opened his eyes "Alright, I'm up, I'm up"

Andy smiled triumphantly and sat cross legged "Boy or girl?"

Sam scratched his head trying to understand what the hell was going on "Hun?"

Andy rolled her eyes and caressed her belly "Do you prefer a boy or a girl, dummy"

Sam smiled thinking about the newest member of the family, their second rookie, he couldn't be more excited "hmmm…I don't know, I would love to have a little girl, but another boy would be great too. Either way, I'm going to love him or her unreservedly, just like I love you and Brian. And what about you? What is your gut telling you? Is it a boy or a girl?" he said, kissing Andy's stomach and then meeting her lips softly

Andy thought for a minute, her gut was telling her it was a girl, but sometimes she had the feeling that it was a boy "I really don't know, maybe it's a boy and a girl" she joked a little just to see Sam's reaction

Sam knew Andy was just teasing him, still, he widened his eyes in surprise "That would be…chaotic, could you imagine that? I mean…wow"

"Yeah, but I'm sure we would have a great time"

"Sure, I mean, imagine all the crying, all the dirty diapers, all the accidents and all the worry, now…multiply that by two…that's what twins would be like, no, thank you, if you want a third one, that's fine, but give it some time"

So, they were already thinking about a third heir "But Saaaam, you are old, we can't wait much longer"

Sam faked annoyance and pinned Andy below him "I'm sorry, are you insulting me? I'm going to show you who is the old one" he said, while poking her ribs

Andy started struggling, trying her best to avoid Sam's fingers "No, no, I'm kidding, I'm sorry"

Sam silenced Andy's giggles with a kiss "Keep it down, we don't want Brian to wake up, do we?"

Andy suddenly got serious and frowned "Now that you mentioned Bry, I remembered something that I'm seriously worried about"

"Hey, what's up?" Sam said gently, smoothing her worry lines

Andy was bothered and she needed to share it with Sam "How do you think Brian is going to react? I'm afraid he won't like the news"

"What? Are you kidding me? He is going to love it, we just have to make sure that he knows how much we love him and that nothing is going to change about that" Sam said one hundred percent sure, and he wasn't lying just to reassure Andy, he really believed in that

Andy thought for a moment and then smiled, she could feel a weight been lifted off of her chest "You are right, and he did ask for a brother"

"And let's not forget the dog" Sam teased, lightening the mood a little

"But I think he already forgot it"

"I'm not sure about that, last week when we were playing outside he saw what appeared to be an abandoned dog and he wanted to keep it, I almost let him, but we found out the dog wasn't abandoned and Bry was pretty sad about that" Sam told Andy

"Really? I didn't know that, I think we should consider his wish for a dog, don't you think?"

"I agree, but please, can we talk about that tomorrow? It's like 3:30 and my eyes are heavy, I want to sleep" Sam pleaded, already closing his eyes and making himself comfortable

Andy laughed, turned the lamp off and snuggled next to Sam, he immediately took her hand in his and placed it on top of Andy's belly, protecting their baby

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><p>Beep… Beep… Beep…<p>

Andy heard the alarm go off indicating that it was time to wake up, she growled in protest but opened her eyes, looking to her right she noticed Sam wasn't there, which was strange, usually when she had the day off -like today- she was the first to wake up so she could make breakfast and take care of Brian while Sam enjoyed another thirty minutes of sleeping, but it seemed like today wasn't the case

Wandering through the house she spotted Sam inside Brian's bedroom, he was sitting at the edge of their son's bed with Brian sleeping on his lap, Andy smiled at the sight and stepped in "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Sam looked up, surprised he hadn't heard Andy coming in "Good morning beautiful, I just couldn't sleep and I heard Bry whimpering, he was having a nightmare, so I came here and reassured him everything was ok, we talked a bit and he fell asleep"

"Nightmare? That's unusual for him, I can't even remember the last time he had one" Andy said, caressing her son's red hair softly so he wouldn't wake up

Sam shrugged "I'm sure it was just about a big, fat, ugly, green, gooey monster trying to steal his cookies"

"Not the cookies again" Andy laughed, remembering what happened not so long ago

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><p>"<em>Hey, did you want to see me?" Andy asked, sitting in one of the comfortable chairs in Sam's office<em>

_Sam was just getting out of the phone and motioned for her to wait a moment, after saying good bye to the person he was speaking to, he explained why he caller her _

"_So, Martha, from the kindergarten just called saying that Brian had a huge fight with Jared…I have the feeling that she might be overreacting, but that's not the point… she also said that Bryan asked if she could call us because he wanted to go home"_

_Honestly, Andy was surprised to hear that, it was a first for them, Brian was always very friendly with everybody "We will have to talk to him and see what happened. But what do we do tight now?"_

_Sam got up and took the car keys from the drawer "Now, I'm going there to find out what happened and then I think I will bring him here, and as your boss, I'm giving you a choice, do you want to go with me or do you want to stay here, finishing paperwork?"_

"_Hmmm, tough choice, let me see…paperwork or go along with my sexy husband?" Andy pretended to think _

_Sam just narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head "Come on, let's see what they have for us" he said, holding the door opened for Andy_

_Just as they were arriving at the Principal's office, Andy stopped abruptly and turned to Sam "You better behave, I don't want you fighting with that woman again, one time was enough, hear me? So, I will do the talking this time"_

_Sam rolled his eyes but had to agree_

_Martha was already waiting for them "Good morning Ms. And , Brian will be here in one second"_

_Andy extended her hand and greeted Martha "Good morning" while Sam merely nodded _

_The door opened and Brian entered, his eyes were a little swollen and he looked sad, Sam immediately got up from his chair and bent down to lift Bry "Heeey buddy, what's wrong?"_

_Andy and Sam knew very well that some days Brian could be a little difficult and it looked like today was one of those days when he pouted and hid his head on Sam's neck_

_Andy looked at Martha "So, what happened?"_

"_His teacher came to me and said that Jared and Brian were having lunch together and she don't know what happened, but suddenly Brian bit Jared's finger and Jared bit him back, so, I was hoping that maybe you could convince Brian to tell us what happened" Martha explained_

_Sam, who was standing right behind Andy with Brian on his lap, sat down, he whispered something in his son's ear and the boy lifted his head._

_Brian thought for a minute and agreed "Okay, I will tell"_

_Andy looked disapprovingly at Sam and shook her head, she knew he had offered him a candy or something like that if he agreed to talk, which wasn't right "So, what happened?"_

_Brian kept his head low "Remember the cookies we made yesterday with Buzzlightyear's shape?"_

_Andy nodded "Yes, I do, I packed three for you today"_

"_We were having lunch and Jared took one and he didn't ask please, so I bit his finger so he would never ever do this again, it was my cookie"_

"_But honey, you can't bite your friend just because he ate your cookie, you still had two"_

"_Yes I can mommy, and I am not his friend anymore" Brian said, in the most childish tone possible_

"_Hey, don't talk like that to mom, she is right" Sam, who until this point was quiet intervened _

_Brian crossed his arms over his chest and pouted "But daaaaad, they were my cookies, I don't want to share my cookies with anybody"_

"_Look, we are not going to discuss this here, we will talk when we get home, now grab your backpack and lets go" Andy, who was very disappointed and annoyed got up and thanked Martha, with Sam right behind doing the same_

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><p>"Want to take a shower together before the hurricane needs to wake up?" Sam suggested<p>

"I would love that, let's go" Andy said, holding Sam's hand and leading him to their bathroom

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><p>"So honey, it's you first day on vacation and it's mommy's day off, what do you want to do today?" Andy said excitedly, sitting beside Brian who was at the dinner table silently playing with two little cars<p>

Brian chewed on his bottom lip just like Andy did and shrugged "I don't know"

Right, so this was a first, usually Brian would be extremely excited to spend the day with Andy, just the two of them, painting, playing games and running around, he was one of those kids that could never stay quiet for too long, but today he seemed strange, he was frowning constantly, something Andy noticed since Sam left to work, he was waaaay quieter than usual and he didn't want to play, so Andy started to worry that maybe he had listened that she was pregnant and was sad because he didn't like the idea or it could be something else too, she honestly didn't know

"Hey, is there something wrong buddy?" Andy tried to talk

Brian looked at her for a long time before he shook his head

Okay, so this was going to be difficult, Andy thought to herself "What do you say if we go to the court play basketball?"

"No, I don't want to, I want to tal…nothing, nothing" Bry started but gave up mid sentence

Andy knew Brian was going to say something else, so she encouraged him "Want what? You can ask anything"

"I want to talk to my dad, mom" He finally said, after opening and closing his mouth several times

Andy was caught off-guard, she didn't knew what that was about, but she didn't question Brian's wish, she grabbed the phone and dialed Sam's number

_Sam: Hello_

_Andy: Sam, hi, it's me_

_Sam: ohh, sorry, hi honey, how's your day so far?_

_Andy: hmmm, good, good, look, I'm calling because Brian said he wants to talk to you_

_Sam: What? Why?_

_Andy: I don't know, he was acting strange and said he wanted to talk to you_

_Sam: hmm, okay, let me talk to him_

_Brian: Dad?_

_Sam: Heeeey Bry, how is your day?_

_Brian: Good_

_Sam: Good? And what are you and mom going to do today?_

_Brian: I don't know yet_

_Sam: Why don't you paint something really nice for me and when I get home we can hang your picture in the living room_

_Brian: Hmmm, ok, I can do that_

_Sam: Great, I can't wait to see what you are going to do_

_Brian: Dad?_

_Sam: Yeah? Something wrong?_

_Brian: No, can you come home now?_

_Sam: I'm sorry buddy, I can't, I'm working, but I promise, I will be home soon_

_Brian:_ _How soon?_

_Sam: Hmm, three hours, is that ok with you?_

_Brian: You promise?_

_Sam: Yes, I do_

_Brian: Promise, promise?_

_Sam: Trust me, three hours and I'm home_

_Brian: Okay, I trust you, bye dad, I love you_

_Sam: I love you too, now let me talk to mom_

_Andy: It's me_

_Sam: So, he sounded different, but maybe he is just in one of those bad days, don't worry_

_Andy: I hope you are right, have to go now, see you in a couple hours, bye honey, I love you_

_Sam: Bye McNally, call me if you need_

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><p>After talking to Sam, Brian seemed to relax, he painted something with his mom for a bit just like he promised his dad he would and after that they went to the playground where Brian met a few friends.<p>

When it was getting dark, Andy called her son so they could go home and prepare something for dinner

"So, had fun today?" Andy asked while she was setting the table with Brian's help

He gave her a smile that showed his charming dimples and nodded "Yes, I did, I can't wait to tell dad. Is he going to take long?"

Andy looked at the clock and realized that Sam was a little late, which wasn't uncommon, some days he was caught up with paperwork and it would take him longer to get home. Just at this moment the doorbell rang, Brian left what he was doing and ran to the door thinking that his dad was finally home

"Dad, dad!" When he opened the door and it wasn't his dad, he huffed disappointed and turned to walk away

Andy, who was right behind Brian, froze when she saw two officers standing in her doorway, she knew that could only mean something, and it wasn't good

"Miss McNally, there has been an accident" one of them stated, trying his best to be professional and strong


	22. Fine

**I'm sorry it took me this long. Thank you for the kind words and i hope you enjoy this chapter**

"Ms. McNally, there has been an accident"

Since Officers Maine and Chester said that, Andy was trying to comprehend what was going on. Her head was spinning, she had too many questions to ask but she couldn't form any words, it was like her brain had stopped.

"W-w-what happened?" Andy finally asked after taking deep breaths

The Officer who looked older took the lead "An eyewitness said Ms. Swarek was crossing the street when a car lost control and hit him, a pedestrian called the ambulance right away and he was send to 's, the driver fled from the scene but we are trying to locate him "

"Was…was it bad?" Andy had to ask, she needed to know

"We don't know Ma'am" the Officer said

Andy huffed annoyed, thinking to herself "yeah, right"

"Do you need anything else Ma'am?" The young one, who was quiet until now asked with a sympathetic look

Andy laughed bitterly, of course she needed something else, she needed Sam by her side, safe at home, playing with Brian while Andy finished their dinner, she needed her husband to be alright and not at the damn hospital because some lunatic ran over him, but she couldn't say that to those men, they had nothing to do with what happened

"No, thank you" She said and closed the door

With her forehead pressed to the closed door Andy let out a shaky breath, she bit her bottom lip trying to suppress a sob that was threatening to escape when Brian called her from the living room

"Mommyyyyy" The kid shouted impatiently like that wasn't the first time he was calling his mom

Andy's eyes snapped open instantly, what was she supposed to tell Brian? She didn't even know what was happening, besides the fact that Sam had been hit by a car and was at the hospital she knew nothing, so how explain to her son that daddy wasn't coming home tonight? Well, she would have to figure that out pretty fast

"Yeah, honey?" Andy said, making her way to where her son was

"Where is my truck? Can't find it" Brian asked visibly upset

Andy looked around trying to locate the lost truck, the living room was a mess like always, toys scattered all over the floor. When they first started dating, Sam was almost a neat freak, which drove Andy crazy, but after Brian was born he became kind of messy, dirty socks and wet clothes on the floor and toys all over the house

Andy shook her head negatively "Sorry, don't know where is it. When was the last time you played with it?"

Brian knitted his brows together trying to remember. After a moment he smiled proudly "Yesterday after dinner dad and I were playing with it and I want to play again today when he comes home but I can't find it"

"How about this, you go look in your room and I will look here, that way it will be easier" Andy offered. Actually she just needed some time alone to call Gail and Chris and see if they could watch Brian while she went to the hospital

Brian got up and ran to his bedroom while Andy took the phone and called Gail, dropping her voice a little to make sure Brian wouldn't listen

_Gail: Hello!_

_Andy: Hi Gail, it's me, Andy_

_Gail: Oh, Hi Andy, what's up?_

_Andy: Gail, I need a favor_

_Gail: Sure, sure, everything alright with you? You sound strange, are you calling me drunk again? 'Cause you know, twice is enough_

_Andy: Gail…Sam…He…he is…_

_Gail: Sam what, Andy? What happened?_

_Andy: He…he is in the h-h-hospital_

_Gail: Oh shit, are you alright? Is he going to be alright?_

_Andy: I don't know, I'm going there now, but I'm scared Gail, what if…_

_Gail: No Andy, no what if's, you need to stay positive, Sam is strong, he will be fine_

_Andy: I hope you are right_

_Gail: I am. Do you need me to do anything?_

_Andy: Actually, yeah, I do… I didn't tell Bry yet, I don't know what to tell him, I don't want him to worry, he is just a kid, so could you please watch him for tonight?_

_Gail: Sure, don't worry_

_Andy: Thank you Gail, I really appreciate it_

_Gail: Hey, that's the least I can do. I'm on my way, see you in ten Andy_

_Andy: OK, see you_

"Mom, mom, I found it, I found it" Bryan came running towards Andy with a big and bright smile, the one Andy loved to see

Andy smiled at him, bent down and ruffled his hair "Cool, now I have a surprise for you"

Brian jumped up and down excitedly "What? What? What?"

"Aunt Gail and Uncle Chris are coming here to play with you"

"Cooooool, can we build a hut? Dad's huts are the best ones" he asked

Andy smiled a little, of course Sam's hut was the best, to Brian, Sam was the best in everything, they were too close, partners in crime "Sure you can, but mom and dad won't be here, I need to go solve some problems and I need you to behave, ok?"

"Why?" Brian asked a little sad that his parents wouldn't be joining him

"It's just an adult problem, boring stuff ya know, but don't worry, just have fun and behave, promise?" Andy said like it was nothing, but the truth was that she was scared to death, it wasn't just an adult problem and boring stuff

"Alright, I promise"

* * *

><p>After Gail and Chris arrived, Andy hurriedly made her way to the hospital, feeling like her chest was about to explode<p>

"Excuse me, I'm Sam Swarek's wife" Andy said to the receptionist as calm as she could. Along the way to the hospital she kept repeating that everything was going to be ok, they have been through dangerous situations before and everything turned out fine, and it wouldn't be different this time, apparently, this worked, not that she was calm, but she was confident that Sam would be ok

The receptionist looked at the computer and nodded "Oh, one of the nurses will take you to the waiting room and you can talk to her about your husband, I don't have anything about his condition in the computer system yet"

Andy didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she didn't have much time to think because an old and sympathetic nurse that appeared to be on her 60's offered to take her to the waiting room

The pair quietly made their way through the long, white halls. When they passed the nursery, Andy placed a hand on her belly and felt a new wave of tears threatening to fall. She was doing great so far, but imagining that there was a possibility that maybe Brian and the baby wouldn't grow up with a father figure was just too much

"Here, take a sit and I'll be back in one moment" The old lady cut Andy's train of thoughts and pointed to a chair

Before Andy could reply, the nurse was already gone, so she sat and waited impatiently while her mind wandered to the last time Sam had been at the hospital

"_Sam?" Andy called from the door _

"_Hmmm?" Came his muffled reply _

_Andy rounded the lockers and found him sitting on a bench, head hung low and a bunch of toilet papers pressing against his lip_

"_There you are, so…I talked to Oliver" Andy said, gently trying to remove his hand from his lip_

"_It's nothing" he said, not letting Andy see what was underneath the toilet papers_

_Andy rolled her eyes but didn't give up, Sam could be a child sometimes but she was stubborn as hell "That's not what I heard, now let me see it, please?"_

_Sam sighed, his day wasn't going according to the plan and Andy wasn't making things easy "What did you heard?" he said, barely managing to form comprehensive words_

_Andy rested one hand on top of the one that Sam wasn't using to hold the papers and caressed it with her thumb "Oliver told me you were chasing a guy and the guy hid behind a dumpster but you didn't realize it and he surprised you and hit your leg, which made you fall, and then while you were on the ground, he hit you in the face, but you managed to arrest him"_

_Sam snorted, knowing very well that that wasn't the real story "while I was chasing a girl I tripped and then she hit me with a piece of wood that was on the floor, after that, Oliver arrested her while I was on the floor crying in pain " he corrected_

"_Well, that happens, now let me see your lip please" Andy pleaded, pouting _

_Sam slowly lifted his hand from the injured lip and tried not to wince_

"_uhhhgg…That looks bad Sam, you need to go to the hospital" Andy examined closely the gash on Sam's lip, it was ugly and it looked painful too_

"_And a dentist too" He replied chuckling a little and trying to lighten the mood_

_Andy raised one eyebrow and frowned "What?"_

_Sam rose from the bench and walked to his locker, he opened his bag and took something from it, when he sat beside Andy again, he showed her what was on his hand_

_Andy looked for a moment at the unidentified object in Sam's hand, at first she had no idea what that white thing was, but then it hit her "No way" she said while trying not to laugh_

_Sam bobbled his head up and down "Go ahead, you can laugh, I won't get mad, Oliver already teased me a lot"_

_And laugh she did, for a long time Andy couldn't control the giggles escaping her mouth _

"_I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention" _

"_Sure it was, I would laugh if you had lost one of your tooth" Sam mumbled, trying not to move his lips too much_

"_Can I see it?" Andy asked, wiping away the remaining tears that had fell_

"_That's the best part, my lip is so swollen that you can't see it" Sam let out a giggle unintentionally_

_As soon as Sam smiled he could feel a liquid running down from his lip to his chin, the pain became almost unbearable and Andy's expression turned from relaxed to worried _

"_We are going to the hospital now, and don't say you are fine because the blood on your shirt says you are not" _

"So, ?" the nurse called, interrupting Andy's thoughts and waiting for her to come back to the "real world"

Andy blinked and realized someone was calling her name, it was the nurse that escorted her to the waiting room and she was holding some kind of file "Yes?"

"My name is Rose and I just talked to your husband's doctor" she said, looking at the file that was in her hands

Andy's heart was beating faster and faster now, it was time to know what was going on, she closed her eyes and whispered a prayer "and…?" she asked nervously, starting to feel sick

Rose smiled a little "he is going to be fine, beside a few cuts and scratches, there is nothing serious to worry about, to be honest your husband was lucky, I would say his guardian angel is powerful"

As soon as Rose smiled, Andy felt a huge weight being lift off of her shoulders, that could only mean good news, nobody would be smiling if the patient was dead or almost dying

" Thank God, thank you, thank you, thank you" Andy said, smiling from ear to ear and letting some tears of joy fall

"When can I see him? How long will you keep him here?"

Rose looked once again at the file before answering "Well, will keep him here for another day and then he can go, although the doctor said he was already asking to go home we can't do that. Now, just follow me that I'm going to take you to see him"

The door indicated ROOM 1307, Andy opened the door and saw Sam mumbling and complaining about something

"I see you haven't changed at all" She said, making her way to him and doing what she wanted to do since the Officers knocked on her door

Andy kissed Sam hard, as if to reassure herself that he was fine

Sam smiled against her lips "I'm sorry I got you worried" he said when they broke the kiss

Andy looked at those deep, black eyes and sighed, she loved him so much, she didn't know what she would do if he wasn't by her side anymore "Don't do that to me again, ever!" she said and slapped his good shoulder angrily

Sam raised his hands innocently "Sorry, it wasn't my intention, but it was for a good cause"

"What do you mean?" Andy asked confused

"You see, I was exhausted and all I wanted was to get home, kiss you, Brian, your tummy and spend the night with my family, but as I was making my way home I saw a floriculture and I decided to buy you flowers, you know…just to thank you for being awesome and for everything you always do to me, and well…you know the rest" Sam explained to Andy

"You know, you never ceases to amaze me" Andy said, shaking her head in amazement and dropping her head to give Sam another kiss

"Where is my son?" Sam asked worriedly

"Oh, he is with Gail and Chris, but I didn't tell him what happened, I just couldn't. Speaking of Gail, I need to call her, I promised"

"Good, good, you did right, he is just a kid" Sam supported Andy "He must be upset with me, I broke the promise I made, I'm still not home" He said, and it was visible that Sam was really upset with himself, kind of disappointed

Seeing that Sam was punishing himself, Andy held his hand and assured him that he couldn't be more wrong "Brian would never be upset with you, you hear me? He worships you Sam" she smiled, showing him that she really meant what she was saying

"Call him, I want to talk to our son" He asked, not knowing if he should believe Andy or not


End file.
